Ouija Board
by Starrilight-Hotaru
Summary: It was supposed to be a funny little joke or maybe just a game. Enter the Takahashi old manor on Halloween and play around with an old Ouija Board all infront of a camera. If only I had known who would call out to me.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary..._

When Rin's friends force her to go to the famous haunted Takahashi Manor for a television show, she's not very happy. And things go from weird to worst as ghost began to chant her name and the road becomes blocked. Will they even make it out of the manor alive? Or will those floating golden eyes, that are now constantly watching her, have their own way?

* * *

"Come on Rin, it's going to be so cool." Mia said with a smile.

"Yeah, two nights at the Takahashi Manor, just us, the spirits and the Ouija Board." Sakura said as she patted the superstitious Rin on the back.

"You guys are insane! You're willing to be locked in that place for a full 48 hours for a documentary?" Rin asked frantically. She believed in ghosts of course, but that didn't mean she wanted to meet one.

"Don't be such a baby! And besides if we participate you'll have enough money to get that laptop you've been saving up for…" Mia said pulling out her bait.

"But…"

"No buts Rin. And we get these really cool kimonos, you know to get in the feel. Free clothes and a laptop, how can you say no?" Sakura asked as she pulled out her last resort, the puppy dog eyes.

"It's haunted! I don't want to contact the spirit realm! Why can't you ask someone who isn't a chicken?" Rin asked with pleading eyes. "Like your kid brother or better yet Ms. Rene, I'm sure she would enjoy the trip…"

"No, I'm done asking. You're going and that's final. And if you be good I'll buy out half the flower shop in your honor…" Mia said. Rin nodded sadly as her two friends smiled at her. "Great! Pack everything you'll need and we'll pick you up tonight! I have to call Toni and Takeshi and tell them that we got you!" Mia smiled as she pulled out her cell phone and started to happily chat away.

"Rin, maybe you should do some research before we get there. You know, so you won't be so scared…" Sakura said.

"I guess but that might do the complete opposite. I'll see you guys tonight! Bye!" Rin called back as she turned into her driveway. Rin walked into her house and was greeted with a soft purr. "Hey Kirara, Sango's not home yet? She's probably out beating up Miroku again…"

Rin sighed and dropped her things off in the kitchen. Sango was her older sister and guardian. She was currently dating Miroku who had a cursed hand and mind. Some might argue that his body was cursed too because it kept receiving bruises from her sister. Rin smiled as she found a letter confirming her suspicions. Sango was out with Miroku again and wouldn't be home until late that night.

Rin made her way toward her room and pushed the door open. "Hi Kohaku…" Rin said to a picture of her brother on her desk. He was dressed in army attire and was smiling brightly. He had gone missing in the war, that had been three years ago. Rin sighed and looked to a picture of her mother and father.

"Hi mom and dad, did you guys have good days today?" Rin asked and soft replies murmured in her head. "That's wonderful." Rin's parents had passed away in a car crash. She had been young but she could still remember them.

She turned to her computer and waited for it to start up. Ten minutes later she was on the internet looking up information on the Takahashi's. About five minutes later just as the page was about to come up her computer went berserk.

"Oi, what's with all the smoke?" Rin asked Kirara who was staring inquisitively at Rin's computer. "I told Sango a computer from the Stone Age would never work all year long… This is just great what am I supposed to do now?" Rin asked as she opened her window so the smoke could clear her room.

Rin sighed heavily and lay across her bed as Kirara curled up by her side. "Maybe I should take a nap before I'm kidnapped and scared half to death…" Rin muttered as her eyes closed and within a few moments she was sleeping.

Rin shivered slightly in her sleep and the windows closed of their own accord. Her blanket then folded itself over her. Rin muttered some incoherent words and smiled softly. The transparent distorted image of a man with silver hair dressed in white flashed in the room. He bent over slowly and brushed his lips against Rin's forehead which caused her to blush in her sleep. Then just as quickly as he appeared he disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

_Last Time..._

Rin shivered slightly in her sleep and the windows closed of their own accord. Her blanket then folded itself over her. Rin muttered some incoherent words and smiled softly. The transparent distorted image of a man with silver hair dressed in white flashed in the room. He bent over slowly and brushed his lips against Rin's forehead which caused her to blush in her sleep. Then just as quickly as he appeared he disappeared.

* * *

Rin woke up about and hour before Sakura and Mai were supposed to pick her up. She yawned and rubbed her eyes vigorously with the heels of her palms. She then looked around her room and was greeted with a meow from Kirara. "Whatcha got there Kirara?" Rin asked as she noticed the package Kirara was playing with.

Rin opened it carefully and took out a pure white kimono with a red leaf pattern on the sleeves and near the bottom. It was made out of something that was softer than silk. The obi was red with a gold and purple design on the bow. There were also two combs made of gold and silver along with a small pair of shoes. Rin tilted her head to the side and decided that Sango had found out and given it to her. "It's really gorgeous isn't it Kirara? It's like something straight out of a fairy tale."

Rin twirled around and looked at herself in the mirror. As she fixed her hair she could have sworn she saw golden eyes reflect in the mirror. When she turned around and nothing was there she just told herself that she was imagining things.

Rin clumsily made her way down stairs to find Sango in the kitchen and Miroku in the den tidying up. "Wow Rin, you look nice where are you going?" Miroku asked as Rin made her way to the kitchen.

"My friends are blackmailing me so I can spend the weekend in the Takahashi Manor for a documentary." Rin responded as she walked into the kitchen and threw her bag that she had packed with supplies by the door.

"You know that place is haunted don't you?" Miroku asked not really believing that Rin would go near the place if she knew.

"Yeah…"

"And you know that tonight is… how do the Americans say it? All Hallows Eve." Miroku said. "That holiday where everyone dresses up and begs for candy so the dentist can be happy by the new year…"

"Of course I know, that's why I plan on making a run for it later…" Rin said as Sango turned around from cooking and stared at her in shock.

"Oh god Rin, that kimono is gorgeous and those combs… Where did you get them?" Sango asked as she spun Rin around to get a good look at her.

"You're kidding right?" Rin asked as Sango shook her head slightly confused. "I found this wrapped up in a package on the floor in my room. I though you had given it to me…" Rin said slowly.

"Rin, I swear I've never seen that stuff…" Sango said seriously.

"Miroku…" Rin questioned turning around and receiving the same clueless look from him.

"Maybe Sakura snuck it in through your window or something…" Sango suggested trying to ease the tension building around Rin and her gift.

Rin thought for a moment and then smiled. "Yeah that must be it because my computer exploded and I opened the window so the smoke could get out. And when I woke up it was closed."

"Wait your computer exploded?" Sango asked in shock.

"Yes, a lot of sparks flew around it and then smoke just erupted from it…" Rin said as she moved to sit at the kitchen table.

"That's really weird I just upgraded it last week when I came home early…" Sango said slowly as the phone rung. "Rin it's for you."

Rin caught the cordless phone Sango threw to her and placed it to her ear. "Moshi moshi…"

"Oi Rin, we're coming early to pick you up so you can get dressed." Mai said on the other line.

"But I'm already dressed…" Rin answered. "Listen did you or Sakura leave a kimono in my room because that's what I'm wearing right now."

"No I haven't been by your house since after school when we walked you home. And Sakura's been with me the whole time since we left school. But if you have a kimono then it's okay. I think this one might have been too big anyway. We'll be there in ten minutes okay Rin." Mai said quickly.

"Alright then see you soon…"

"Okay, bye Rin…" Mai replied as the phone line went dead.

"Sango, Mai says that she and Sakura couldn't have dropped it off. They've been together all day." Rin said.

Sango laughed nervously. "Well there must be a logical explanation of how it got there…" Sango replied trying to figure out how someone got in the house with her little sister and left without her knowing. "We can worry about it later. I want to get some pictures of you before you leave. That kimono really is lovely…" Sango said as she grabbed the digital camera.

After about five minutes of taking pictures of Rin the horn beeped outside and Rin kissed Sango on the cheek and was gone. Sango sighed and looked over to Miroku. "I want you to check every room in this house with me alright… Someone was in here and I want to know who." Sango said.

Miroku could tell that she was worried when she found out Sakura and Mai hadn't left the kimono for Rin. But she had to pretend like it was nothing with Rin there. Miroku nodded and grabbed Sango's hand. "We'll search this place from top to bottom."


	3. Chapter 3

_Last Time..._

"Sango, Mai says that she and Sakura couldn't have dropped it off. They've been together all day." Rin said.

Sango laughed nervously. "Well there must be a logical explanation of how it got there…" Sango replied trying to figure out how someone got in the house with her little sister and left without her knowing.

* * *

"Wow Rin, your kimono's gorgeous. Ours are really cheap. Where did you get it?" Sakura said as she looked at her own kimono and then at Rin's.

Rin laughed uneasily. "I really don't know…"

"Then you have to spill about the combs then. They actually look real…" Mai said as they road out to the country side and houses became more spread apart.

"Another mystery of the deep…" Rin muttered as she turned on the radio and began to scan.

"Stop it right there, that's Utada Hikaru. I love this song!" Mai said as she began to sing along. "I still remember the ways that you touched me…"

"Now I know I don't mean anything to you!" Sakura sang loudly.

"You're easy breezy and I'm Japanesey! Soon you'll mean exactly nothing to me…" They all sung together and then laughed at how Mai purposely held out the 'you' and 'me' in the song.

After the song ended Mai pointed to a truck parked along the side of the road. "That's Toni's truck and Takeshi's motorcycle. They must be here already with all of the video equipment and stuff. Come on the mansion is up there…" Mai said pointing toward the sun set which revealed a long winding trail which couldn't be drive up. Rin gulped at the scary manor which didn't look very welcoming.

"Rin, don't be scared I promise not to leave your side during this whole trip. Did you do any research on the internet?" Sakura said grabbing her friends arm and dragging her up the trail to the manor.

"No my computer died on me as soon as I started to load it up…" Rin said with a frown.

"Well don't worry about it. Toni knows all the stories that go with this house. He has a bit of an obsession." Sakura replied.

"Yeah, he has an obsession with this house and you…"

"Shut up Mai!" Sakura said as she blushed furiously. "Takeshi likes you!" Mai starred in shock for a moment and then began to turn beet red.

"I-I… well… we…" Mai stuttered out.

"Hey, I'm glad you guys made it here before sunset. I don't think I would have come outside after sunset." Toni said as he walked out of the front doors followed closely by Takeshi and another man that they didn't recognize.

"Hey guys, this is Jaken-san he is the care taker for the property but normally doesn't stay here after nightfall so we owe him much for this." Takeshi said softly. He never was one to speak loudly.

Jaken was a short sickly looking man. He was bald and his face seemed misshaped, not to mention that his skin was almost a sickly green color. He looked straight through Mai and Sakura and bowed deeply to Rin.

"My lady it is an honor…" He squawked out as tears beaded up in his eyes which caused Sakura and Mai to snicker in the background. He bowed down to Rin and kissed the back of her hand. "I'm really unworthy…"

"Such beauty is a cause for tears…" Mai snickered playfully near Rin's ear.

Rin blushed deeply and smiled brightly. "Arigato Jaken-san, my name is Rin. These are my friends Sakura and Mai."

Jaken acknowledged them and then motioned for all to follow him into the manor. "This is the foyer… your rooms are on the second floor and are marked accordingly. If you need me I'll be in this room here. You are welcome to wander but I'd suggest staying in groups as to not get lost, this place is quite large." With that said Jaken retired to his room and closed the door behind him.

"So what should we do first?" Toni asked as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I think we should get settled down first and then we can explore and hear a few ghost stories and get it on film." Sakura said as while ascending the stairs.

"Sounds like a good idea to me…" Mai replied following after Sakura with Takeshi in tow.

"Wait for me… Come on Toni…" Rin said rushing up the stairs as to not get left alone. Toni followed them closely as they made it to the second floor.

Mai and Sakura immediately found their rooms which sat right next to each other. Takeshi was on the side next to Toni's room. Toni's was a few doors down but he had discovered it earlier so he accompanied Rin to her room.

Rin and Toni walked down the poorly lit hallway and found a door knob with her name on it. "Why couldn't my room be closer to everyone else?" Rin asked as the panic of not being in arms length of anyone in a haunted mansion set in.

"Awww Rin, don't worry about it. We really aren't that far apart." Toni replied as Rin pushed the door open. "Wow, this is gorgeous…"

"It's so beautiful…" Rin muttered as she walked over to the dresser and let her fingers slide across the ancient cravings. Rin's attention strayed to the wardrobe which she walked over to and attempted to open.

"It's probably locked Rin. But I can't believe you got such a nice room. It's twice the size of mine. And look at the murals all over the walls, they're gorgeous. Rin… Rin…"

Rin's eyes had gone dull as she made her way back to the dresser and opened the drawer. She stuck her hand into the back of it and pushed it out. She silently pulled a small box out of it and opened it to find a key.

"Rin…" Toni called again this time pulling Rin out of her trance. "How did you find that? It probably goes to the wardrobe."

"W-what just happened?" Rin asked completely surprised to find a small key in her hand.

"You just went zombie mode on me and found that key. How did you know it was in there?"

"I-I don't know it was just like I had done it a thousand times before… I just wanted to get into the wardrobe." Rin muttered as she pushed the key in the lock of the wardrobe and opened it. There were really fancy gowns, a couple of kimonos and shoes. There was also a music/jewelry box at the bottom of the wardrobe.

"Whoa jackpot for this place, I'll go get the others. I wonder if they found any cool stuff like this in their rooms." Toni said as he walked out of her room.

"Wait Toni; don't leave me in here all alone…"

"It'll only take a second and I'll send Sakura down first…"

Rin nodded pleased with Toni's idea. She bent down and picked up the jewelry box. She placed it on the dressed and opened it as a song played gently. Rin playfully tried on some earrings and hummed along with the music. As she began to try on a necklace she immediately began to sing with the box.

"Yama no naka, mori no naka, kaze no naka, yume no naka…" Rin sang trying to think up words for the next verse. But she drew a blank as she continued to struggle with the clasp on the necklace. "I just can't get this…" Rin muttered as she closed her eyes trying not to become aggravated as she started to sing her song again.

Suddenly she felt fingers on hers and they gently clasped the necklace for her. "I didn't hear you come in. Thanks Sakura…" Rin replied as she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror to find golden eyes looking over her shoulder. Rin swirled around so quickly she almost fell over. But no one was behind her so she turned around back to the mirror and screamed as the golden eyes still looked over her shoulder. They began to fade into the darkness as Sakura, Mai, Takeshi and Toni burst into her room.


	4. Chapter 4

_Last Time..._

Miroku could tell that she was worried when she found out Sakura and Mai hadn't left the kimono for Rin. But she had to pretend like it was nothing with Rin there. Miroku nodded and grabbed Sango's hand. "We'll search this place from top to bottom."

* * *

"So all of the doors, windows…" Sango started.

"Even the air vents, everything is locked and secure. I don't know how anyone got in here. Maybe Mai and Sakura are just playing a trick on Rin…" Miroku said pulling Sango into a hug.

"No, every time they play a prank on Rin they let me in on it. I just don't feel safe." Sango muttered before her eyebrow began to twitch as Miroku's hand comfortingly rubbed her bottom. "HENTAI!" Sango screamed which was followed by a loud slap.

"See Sango, at least you're not as tense as you were. If it is bothering you so much then I'll sleep in Kohaku's room tonight, okay?" Miroku said after waking up from a moment of unconsciousness without missing a beat.

"Yeah that would help a lot… Come on, I want to look at the pictures of the kimono on the computer…" Sango said as she shook her head slightly and followed Kirara up the stairs.

Sango waited patiently for Rin's computer to load up. And Miroku held Kirara up in the air and spun around in the computer chair just to prove how mature he really was.

Miroku looked over Sango's shoulders at the pictures and smiled. "Those pictures are gorgeous…" Miroku said and then instantly frowned. "Hey, what's that right there?" Miroku muttered as he leaned into the computer and pointed to the upper right hand corner of the screen.

"I don't know, you were standing behind me and it looks like a person…" Sango muttered as she zoomed in. "It's a man… Miroku, he's in every picture I took…" Sango said as she began to flick through the pictures slowly. Then she let go of the mouse which began to click at its own at a rapid pace. Kirara hissed at the computer furiously as Sango sat trying to figure out what was out of the ordinary.

"Sango get away from that thing!" Miroku yelled pulling her away from the possessed computer. Sango let out a short scream as the reality of the situation sunk in. Suddenly the computer mouse stopped on a picture.

The picture began to play as if it was a video. A girl sat in a field of flowers as the wind whipped playfully around her. She turned toward the computer screen and smiled. "Oh my god, it is Rin…" Sango muttered as she moved back towards the computer with much protest from Miroku. "But, she's older…" Sango said pulling Miroku toward the computer with her.

The older Rin continued to sit in the flower field as a soft humming sound engulfed the room from the speakers. A man with long silver hair and penetrating golden eyes then walked onto the screen and helped her get up. She wobbled a bit, to which Miroku noticed her stomach was awkwardly round and protruding. "This can't be real… Rin's never been pregnant…" Miroku muttered as he rubbed his eyes vigorously and then attempted to pinch himself awake.

"But that's the guy that showed up in her pictures…" Sango replied as she and Miroku became hypnotized with the screen. Kirara had calmed down and stood watching the screen intently.

Suddenly the scene changed and Rin stood leaning against a balcony at a ball. The silver haired man whispered something into her ear and walked away. Rin sighed slightly and continued to look out over the people. A man with black wavy hair then approached her with a drink.

Kirara hissed angrily as the hairs on her back stood on end. Sango jumped at the reaction Kirara had to the entrance of the man. But Miroku didn't seem to notice anything. Kirara began to pace the floor and stare holes into the computer screen. Sango decided to ignore her feline's behavior and tuned back in to the screen.

"_Rin-sama, you're still as beautiful as ever. It's been a wondrous turn out for your baby shower._" The black haired man said with a bow and then offered her the drink.

Rin looked slightly uncomfortable and gave the man a weak smile. "_Arigato Naraku-sama…_" She responded politely as she accepted the beverage.

"_So where is your mate?_"

Rin frowned at the question and hesitantly answered it. "_He had some business to attend to with his father… He said it'll only take a minute if you're looking for him he's…_"

"_No actually I wanted to talk to you… What is it that you see in him?_"

"_Everything, the sun, the moon, the stars…_"

"_And you couldn't see those things in me…_" Naraku asked venomously.

"_It was an arranged marriage, I didn't love you._" Rin replied in an airy whisper attempting not to cause a scene. Her voice cracked slightly and she took a sip of the drink. "_Besides in the end we all said it was for the best, especially after Kikyo's death…_"

"_This isn't about her!_"

"_Then w-who…_" She started and swayed for a moment before catching her balance again. "_Then who is it about?_"

"_It's about you not appreciating me!_"

"_W-what are you talking about? W-we n-never had a r-relationship…_" She said as her eyes slowly dilated.

"_I would have given you everything, that bastard doesn't give a shit about you!_" Naraku raved. "_I gave you a chance to prove your worth because you were nothing but a lowly human…_" He started in a low voice before he began to yell. "_And you betrayed me by falling in love with that bastard! I know I gave you everything and I'll be damned if I don't take it all away!_"

Rin dropped the glass and held onto the railing. "_What did you do to me?_" She muttered as she sunk to the floor, her legs giving way. But Naraku grabbed her arm and pulled her back up to his face. Rin began to sweat and gasp for air.

"_You bitch, I loved you… but you didn't care at all. But I swear as long as my spirit roams this or any other realm, you'll never be with him._" Rin's eyes began to roll into the back of her head. Her lips moved constantly in the same pattern over and over again until Naraku crushed his lips against hers. "_If I can't have you, no one can..._"

Suddenly the screen blacked out for a moment and the room was filled with laughter. Then a pair of red eyes appeared on the screen. "I'll have her and kill her and devour her soul. No one will stop me from having what's mine. She will be mine…" The words were followed by more laughter and then silence.

"M-Miroku… W-we have t-to g-get to R-Rin…" Sango stuttered out as she began to shake violently.

"Sango calm down…" Miroku cooed as he attempted to stop her shaking. He then grabbed her arm and the headed down the stairs. "Come on Kirara, we're going to the Takahashi's." Neither of them noticed the spiders that began to crawl from the computer as they left. And as they drove off into the rain both silently wondered if they would see the sun shine again.


	5. Chapter 5

_Last Time..._

Suddenly she felt fingers on hers and they gently clasped the necklace for her. "I didn't hear you come in. Thanks Sakura…" Rin replied as she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror to find golden eyes looking over her shoulder. Rin swirled around so quickly she almost fell over. But no one was behind her so she turned around back to the mirror and screamed as the golden eyes still looked over her shoulder. They began to fade into the darkness as Sakura, Mai, Takeshi and Toni burst into her room.

* * *

"Rin calm down, it was probably just your imagination. We have to start the film now so calm down, alright?" Sakura said patting Rin gently on the back and then hugging her friend.

Rin had been scared to the point that at the present time she couldn't speak clearly. So she just sat quietly shaking. She sat at the foot of the staircase with Mai and Sakura. Toni and Takeshi got ready for their shot at the top of the grand staircase. Toni was going to make his way down the stairs as he told the ghost story.

"It's okay Rin. We won't leave you alone again, okay?" Mai added taking the younger girl's hand and hers and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Okay, you guys help Rin calm down and Toni and I can start taping…" Takeshi said in his soft voice. "Then we can go look for the ballroom for our next shot." Takeshi then cued Toni and the recording began.

"It is Halloween night and we are standing next to the famous grand staircase of the Takahashi manor. Legend has it that the Lady of the West, Izayoi-sama, fell to her death down these very steps in the seventh month of her pregnancy with her son and the second heir to the west, Inuyasha. It is said that she went into an early labor and passed soon after giving birth…" Toni said in a respectful tone.

"It is believed that the entire manor was cursed by the first heir to the west's mother. But that's another tale to be told later. Izayoi-sama's spirit has been spotted making her way down these steps but never making it to the bottom. She also has been seen wandering the hall which her nursery was being set up during her lifetime. Her son grew up in that room and reportedly saw his mother quite commonly looking in on him. The nurses at first didn't believe him but when he was able to give them a full description with no pictures of her in the house they assumed it was true… And cut…"

"That was a great take Toni…" Sakura said going up to him and giving him a hug. "You should do this more often." Sakura said as she began to babble.

"What were you saying about a curse Toni?" Takeshi asked ignoring Sakura.

"The first lady of the west supposedly found out that her mate was having an affair. The blue crescent clan is known for their advanced wizardry and poison skills. The first lady was their queen. She place a curse on the whole castle…" Toni said.

"Talk about getting back at someone." Mai muttered from her position near the floor.

"Yeah but she made a mistake. Her son became cursed too and it was so powerful she couldn't lift it. She herself passed away while trying to release her own magic." Toni said. "And on her death bed she found out her mate had not been cheating on her…"

"That's awful, but what about the curse itself. You still haven't told us what it did." Takeshi asked getting in to the story.

"I'm getting to it… Anyone who died in this house, their souls became bonded to it and could not pass into the netherworld and continue the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation. It also made the leaders of the household have tragic deaths… but I'm pretty sure that was just a bonus."

"How tragic, I mean in what ways could you curse someone so that they had tragic deaths?" Mai asked.

"I think that Lady Izayoi's son, what's his name… Inu Yasha was killed by one of his former lovers. She shot him in the chest with an arrow and then hung herself. Not before killing his new love interest though, slit her throat while she was suffering from pneumonia. And of course there was Lady Izayoi's fall, the death of the first heir, his lover and her sister whose names aren't with me at the moment… Oh and not to mention the Lord of the West himself…" Toni said.

"There was a loophole wasn't there…" Rin muttered surprising everyone with her words. They all looked up expectantly at Toni.

"Yeah actually there was. Three people of this manor did not breathe their last breath on these grounds. So I guess they could have been reincarnated. But out of all the people who lived and died here only three might have gotten away. I say that's a pretty darn good curse…" Toni said with a smirk. "Supposedly there is a way to break it, I personally don't know…"

Rin sighed as she looked up the stairwell and saw a small orb floating behind Toni's head. Then it began to take shape. "Ah… U-uh… G-g… G-go…" Rin started to stammer as she began to scamper backwards on the floor grabbing Mai's arm and taking her with her.

"Rin, what's…?" Mai started looking toward where Rin was staring wide eyed. "It's a ghost!" Mai screamed as the others turned around and came face to face with a see through apparition. Sakura, who was already descending the stairs jumped the last few and took off. Takeshi almost tripped down the staircase in an attempt to get away. He was followed by Toni who simply slid down the stairs on his bottom and attempted to help Takeshi as he got to the ground floor.

The pale, see-through woman stood about five-foot-five. She was dressed in an elegant kimono with her hand placed softly on her stomach. Her fingers traced the railing as she began to descend the stairs with her head held high. She was humming softly as a smug little smirk tugged playfully at the edge of her lips.

"Takeshi… film and run!" Toni said to his friend as Takeshi finally got the camera to come on only to begin to run away because of how close the apparition was getting.

The ghost turned her head slightly stopping her descent of the stairs to look straight at Rin. A mischievous grin graced her lips as she brought her hands together as if she knew a large secret concerning the young girl. This caused Rin to become paralyzed in fear. Then the ghost, who had already in all of the teens minds been identified as Izayoi-sama, opened her mouth and in an echoing singsong voice that floated through the building said, "Ohayo Rin-chan…" She then conceded to wave at Rin and began to fade into nothingness.

Rin would have noticed how the house itself seemed to sigh at the mention of her name but she was too busy fainting. Her friends might have noticed the golden eyes that vanished back into the shadows but they were too busy trying to revive her. And Jaken would have noticed that the plan of the sprits to regain their last mistress had been put into motion if he hadn't been watching _Law and Order: SVU_ in his room. But all these important events went unnoticed, just as the heavy rain that had began mysteriously with barely any clouds did.


	6. Chapter 6

_Last Time..._

The ghost turned her head slightly stopping her descent of the stairs to look straight at Rin. A mischievous grin graced her lips as she brought her hands together as if she knew a large secret concerning the young girl. This caused Rin to become paralyzed in fear. Then the ghost, who had already in all of the teens minds been identified as Izayoi-sama, opened her mouth and in an echoing singsong voice that floated through the building said, "Ohayo Rin-chan…" She then conceded to wave at Rin and began to fade into nothingness.

* * *

"Jaken-san, we want out…" Toni said to the short and discolored man who was aggravated for missing part of his show.

"Oh now you want out… Did I not explain that this place was haunted when you called in reference to staying here? And you see one ghost and you want out… Well if you look outside it's a little late for that. It's raining so hard you'll be lucky if you can find the path to your cars in the morning. So I wish you a good night young sirs and madams." Jaken said with a deep bow and then retreated to his room to watch _Monk_.

"He's right you know… We asked to be here so we need to stick it out…" Sakura muttered as she looked out a window. "And the path would be impossible to travel down in this weather. We might as well wait it out."

"Yeah but that thing that we saw… It really was a ghost." Mai said still slightly in shock.

"You got it on video, didn't you Takeshi? I could have sworn that it said something." Toni muttered as Takeshi pulled out the side screen of the video and rewound it.

"Yeah it said something and then Rin fainted, remember Sakura…" Mai said waiting for the tape to rewind.

"Here it is…" Takeshi said as the tape began to play.

"_Takeshi… film and run!" Toni's voice yelled from the small object. Then the picture got a little distorted before the image of the woman came into focus._

"_Ohayo Rin-chan…"_

"Wait, did you hear that…" Sakura said backing away. "Rewind it again Takeshi…"

Takeshi blinked in disbelief before rewinding the video again. "Maybe it said something else." He muttered in his already soft voice. Takeshi pressed play as the haunting words echoed around the teens again.

"_Ohayo Rin-chan…"_

Toni stared at the camera in shock. "Once more…" He muttered as Takeshi did it again causing chills to go up everybody's spines.

"_Rin-chan…"_

"Okay that was freaky, we all heard that right?" Takeshi said as he put the camera down.

"Rin, do you know what's going on?" Mai said turning around to find a space void of her best friend.

"Oh no, Rin where are you?" Sakura said in a panicked voice as she scanned the room frantically.

"Rin this isn't funny. Where are you?" Toni called out.

"We can't just leave her alone in this place. We have to find her… And the tape…" Sakura started.

"We need to ask her about it…" Toni muttered. "At the risk of using a cliché, let's split up gang."

"Do you realize that every time that's said on Scooby-Doo they end up running into a ghost?" Takeshi asked as the groups faces simultaneously paled.

"I don't really think this is the best time to think about such things, especially when we are living through it…" Mai said.

"This reminds me of that horror movie I made Rin go see…" Sakura started.

"I don't want to hear about it if the ending was bad." Mai said as she began to chant 'lalala' and covered her ears.

"No the ending was great, all the kids ended up dead except for one of them. Then the police came and tore the house down but the spirits followed the last teen and killed her too. They made her go insane by following her around until she committed suicide…" Sakura blabbed happily before realizing their situation.

"Okay now that everyone feels so confident about survival tonight, what were you saying about splitting up Toni?" Mai asked massaging her temples.

"What do you think we should do Takeshi?" Toni asked.

"Mai and I will search the west wing; you and Sakura can check the east. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes. And we are not to split up again…" Takeshi said as he took Mai's hand and began to lead her down the hallway, completely ignoring her objections.

"Alright then, see you guys in 30 minutes." Toni said as he and Sakura headed in the opposite direction. "And Takeshi, if we are not back, go straight to your room. That way we can meet up there instead of wandering the halls aimlessly."

"Okay, everyone has on their watches?" Takeshi asked checking everyone's wrist. "Alright see you guys in 30 minutes."


	7. Chapter 7

_Last Time..._

"Rin, do you know what's going on?" Mai said turning around to find a space void of her best friend.

"Oh no, Rin where are you?" Sakura said in a panicked voice as she scanned the room frantically.

"Rin this isn't funny. Where are you?" Toni called out.

"We can't just leave her alone in this place. We have to find her… And the tape…" Sakura started.

"We need to ask her about it…" Toni muttered.

* * *

Rin blinked softly as she realized that she was no longer in the foyer. She just couldn't figure out what possessed her to wander off. Now she was scared and lost in a haunted mansion. Her predicament reminded her of a horror movie and she didn't like it. Rin slowly backed up against a wall and looked down the hallway. She couldn't remember from which direction she came.

"Sakura… Mai… Takeshi… Toni… Jaken-san… Where are you?" Rin called out into the silence. But no one answered except the howling wind. Rin sighed softly as she passed a mirror in the hallway. As soon as she walked pass it two golden eyes appeared and stared at her. But she didn't notice and as she turned the corner they faded away.

Rin continued to wander through the halls until she came upon some large French doors. Her fingers slid gently on the doorknobs as she pushed them open. She was greeted by a large ballroom. Rin found a light switch and silently thanked every god she could think of that the place had been remodeled in the 60's to have electricity.

The ballroom was quite large. The walls were painted with ancient murals and covered in dirty mirrors. The floor was dull and in need of a good waxing. The chandeliers needed dusting. The balcony that was above the room didn't look like it would hold up for much longer. A grand piano stood in the corner of the room. Rin was strangely drawn to it and her eyes misted over as she began to walk toward it. In the back of her mind a forgotten conversation played in her head.

"_So you play the piano?"_

"_Not very well my lord but I do try…"_

"_Do you know any songs?"_

"_There is this one I made up, but you mustn't laugh…"_

"_I am not one to laugh Rin."_

"_Awww, but we shall see…"_

Rin blinked and found her self sitting at the piano. "How did I…" Rin began to mutter before her fingers glided across the dusty keys. She pressed some of the keys and looked at the piano astounded. "It's tuned… How very strange…" Rin said not really thinking. She slowly closed her eyes and allowed her fingers to dance across the keys. Something that was quite strange since she hadn't had lessons since she was seven.

"_Kono chi ni chikara o. No ni hana o. Kokoro ni ai o..."_Rin began to sing as the room around her morphed into one of its earlier days of glory. The candles that had stood unlit for many years became alive. The chandelier lost its cobwebs and stood gleaming lighting the whole room. Then transparent people began to gather on the dance floor dressed in attire from the turn of the century mixed in with kimonos. They danced slowly and laughed happily as they did when they were alive.

And Rin was so entranced she didn't even notice it. She continued to sing as her kimono morphed into a long silver gown. Her hair began to knot itself up in a complex pattern. And her voice stood strong as her eyes opened and revealed golden rings around her pupils.

"_Are you going to stay this time?" A rich voice asked from behind her._

"_I want to…" Rin said softly not even turning around as her eyes lost more of their own color._

"_Then stay." The voice insisted._

"_But my home…" Rin muttered._

"_This can be your home Rin. This was your home first."_

"_It was, wasn't it?"_

"_You promised to stay with me forever." He said as his breath tickled Rin's neck._

"_Did I really?" Rin inquired softly, her pupils becoming almost completely gold._

"_Yes, stay with me…"_

"_I…"_

"Get away from her!" Toni yelled as he and Sakura ran into the ballroom. At that moment the magic was broken and in a flash of golden sparkles everything went back to its original state. And all of the figures disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Rin, Rin are you okay?" Sakura asked as Rin shook her head violently.

"What just happened?" Rin asked slowly. "I was looking for you and I came in here and then… I blacked out I guess, I don't remember anything after that."

"You didn't see that guy standing over you. He just disappeared…" Toni said as Mai and Takeshi walked into the ballroom from another entrance. "He had long silver hair and was wearing white."

"What man?" Rin asked. "I didn't see anyone."

"Never mind that Rin…" Mai said patting her friend on the back.

"All the wings are somehow connected to the ballroom…" Takeshi responded to Toni's raised eyebrow.

"We heard the playing and made our way towards it." Mai added.

"Rin, I know this sounds strange but have you ever been here before. Like as a kid or something?" Toni asked. "Maybe you just forgot to mention it or something. Think really hard about it. It's very important that you remember it."

"I've always been a little bit of a chicken. I've never been here before. Sango dared me once but I wouldn't do it…" Rin said after a few seconds of contemplating. "Why?"

"Because the lady on the…" Mai started but was cut off by Toni.

"Nothing, you just seem to know the place quite well. I mean the incident with the key and then finding the ballroom. I just though that maybe you had been here previously, you know, because of your knowledge of the area."

"No, I've never been here before a day in my life." Rin said again completely missing the look that transpired between Toni and Mai. "But I do have this weird feeling of déjà vu…" Rin muttered under her breath.

"Well since we're here we might as well tape some more. I'll be damned if I stay here all night and don't get anymore footage." Takeshi said as everyone nodded in agreement. They went back to the foyer and made their way upstairs. After getting the equipment for the ceremony they made their way back into the ballroom and set up.

"Okay then… Let's do this." Sakura said after taking a deep shaky breath.


	8. Chapter 8

Last Time...

"Well since we're here we might as well tape some more. I'll be damned if I stay here all night and don't get anymore footage." Takeshi said as everyone nodded in agreement. They went back to the foyer and made their way upstairs. After getting the equipment for the ceremony they made their way back into the ballroom and set up.

"Okay then… Let's do this." Sakura said after taking a deep shaky breath.

* * *

"Do you really think we should still be doing this after all of the stuff that's happened?" Mai asked Toni as they stood away from the group.

"I don't know, but do we really have another choice…" Toni sighed out as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Why didn't you let me tell Rin about the…"

"You and I both know Rin; she would have fainted if she had known about it. That's probably the reason she fainted in the first place. But we can't tell her just yet alright…"

"Yeah, I understand." Mai said with a short nod.

"Come on you two, we are ready." Sakura called over to them as Rin lit the candles and sat down on the back of her legs. The other's followed suite as Takeshi stood on the side of them and began to film. "Okay since I'm the only one who's done this more than once I'll be the leader all right…" Sakura started. "I need everyone to relax and find their center… Good now place your finger tips lightly on the thing…"

"The triangle thing has a name…" Mai muttered.

"Do you know what it is?"

"No…"

"Then I suggest you continue searching for your center…" Sakura said in a dangerous tone. "Anyway, let the energies guide you. Are we alone in this room?"

"_No_…" Takeshi muttered appointing himself as board reader.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

"_Her master_…"

"What, that makes no sense… Who's master?" Sakura continued.

"_The bitch is mine, always will be_…" Takeshi read out loud as he tilted his head to the side and stared at the board in awe.

Mai looked at him shocked. "Who is he talking about? Assuming this is a he…"

"_The bitch is mine. She's mine_…" Takeshi read.

Rin pulled her fingers from the board as if she had been burned. "I don't like this…" She muttered as Toni, Mai and Sakura pulled their hands away.

"Holy shit, it's still moving…" Mai said too stunned to move.

"_I loved you. You betrayed me. So you'll die a thousand deaths. I'll kill you…_" Takeshi read and then stopped as all of the teens faces became full of horror.

"_R…_" Mai muttered.

"_I…_" Sakura said in a shaky voice.

"_N…_" Toni said before it even finished spelling.

"_Rin..._" Rin said as the board began to ooze blood and Takeshi pulled her away from it. The board continued to spell her name as a horrifying chuckle cracked through the air. Mai screamed as Toni pulled both Sakura and Mai up from the floor.

"We have to get you out of here!" Takeshi yelled as he tucked the camera under his arm and began to pull her toward the exit followed by the rest of the group. But as they made it there a woman in a green gown with gray eyes and black hair appeared in front of them.

She shook her head and pointed to another exit. "Not here Rin…" She said without moving her lips. But her voice came to them as she held onto her throat. She then began to fade back into the darkness.

Rin nodded and pulled the now stunned Takeshi toward the other exit. "It's not safe that way…" Rin said.

"You're going to listen to a ghost!" Takeshi yelled as a mysterious wind began to push at them forcefully. The chandelier above the door they were attempting to exit through fell just as they turned away.

"Yes!" Rin screamed over the wind pointing at the broken chandelier on the floor. And after they forced open the doors that the second ghost had pointed to the wind died down. Toni tried to pull at them but they were locked. "I think…" Rin started as the others stared at her. "That we would be safer in our quarters…" Rin said with a sigh.

"Rin, what the hell happened back there?" Toni asked as Sakura sighed and sat down on the floor refusing to move.

"I-I don't know…"

"You have to know, every single super natural thing in this house has been centered on you: the Ouija Board, the ghost lady on the stairs, the ghost in there!" Mai screamed her face pale.

"What do you mean the ghost on the stairs?" Rin asked surprised as she watched her best friend ride the roller coaster of mental breakdown.

"Don't play innocent she said you name loud and clear! I can't believe this we are going to die!" Mai screamed before tears fell from her eyes and she ran into Takeshi's arms. He could do nothing to quiet her hysterics but hold her.

"So everything is my fault…" Rin muttered before turning around and then taking off.

"Rin, come back!" Toni yelled after her but she didn't stop and just turned a corner. "Great, you guys go to the rooms, I'm going after her." Toni called over his shoulder as he sped down the hallway after Rin. It only took Toni a few seconds to become lost. He sighed as he slowed his pace and began to check the rooms.

"Rin, come on out. Mai was just stressed. Nothing is your fault and we are going to get out of this together…" Toni called into the empty hallway. Toni turned around quickly as he heard some shuffling behind him. "Come on Rin this isn't funny!" He said turning just in time to hear faint giggling and see a flash of red.

"I got you now Rin, come on the others are probably worried…" Toni said as he made his way towards the soft giggling. He came upon a closed door and immediately the giggling stopped. It was replaced with the sounds of crying. Toni opened the door and walked inside.


	9. Chapter 9

_Last Time..._

"M-Miroku… W-we have t-to g-get to R-Rin…" Sango stuttered out as she began to shake violently.

"Sango calm down…" Miroku cooed as he attempted to stop her shaking. He then grabbed her arm and the headed down the stairs. "Come on Kirara, we're going to the Takahashi's." Neither of them noticed the spiders that began to crawl from the computer as they left. And as they drove off into the rain both silently wondered if they would see the sun shine again.

* * *

Sango shuddered as Miroku threw his jacket over her head. "It's so cold and wet!" Sango yelled over the wind. It had taken them an hour to just get to the mansion. There were so many detours because of the rain; Sango thought they wouldn't make it to the place. But with Miroku's driving and the breaking of a few laws they had made it. Not without crossing paths with three cops but that's another tale.

"Look Sango, the path's blocked! We aren't going to be able to get up there!" Miroku yelled as Kirara jumped from his arms to Sango's drier ones. Miroku shivered slightly as Kirara left him to his own body's warmth which, at that time, wasn't a lot. And the freezing water that had begun to seep through his clothing wasn't helping either.

But even though Miroku was freezing he was more worried about Sango. She had on shorts, a short sleeved t-shirt and sandals. At least he had on a long sleeved shirt and boots. He really didn't want Sango climbing up there in her attire at all but they didn't have a choice. But if he could just get her to turn back…

"I'll be damned! My sister's in trouble!" Sango screamed as she began to make her way through the muddy path slipping and falling all over her self. The wind fought violently against her but she continued to trek through the mud. Miroku ended up at her side making sure that they didn't tumble back down the path. He had tried but he knew if she had been in the situation Rin was in, he would have gone up that hill nude to get to her. So he sighed and continued onward with his damsel in distress.

About 30 minutes later the couple stood at the front of the house. "Hello is anyone there!" Sango shouted into many of the windows.

"It's no use everything is locked…" Miroku said into her ear as he caught her waist stopping her from falling yet again.

"Wait look Miroku, there's a door over there. Let's try it." Sango responded as she tucked Kirara deeper into the jacket and made her way up to the door.

Sango pushed at the door which swung open so quickly she accidentally fell inside. Miroku came in behind her and help her up. Suddenly the door closed shut and locked behind them. Miroku's first impulse had been to roll up into the fetal position and suck his thumb, he had always been claustrophobic. But because he was with Sango he immediately went to try the door in a very calm manner.

"It's locked…" Miroku muttered as he pulled at the door before turning toward Sango. He shrugged his shoulders and looked around the dark room. Sango had pulled out a flashlight she had so cleverly grabbed before they left and looked around. They were in nothing more than a mere stone hallway. It was probably the servant's quarters because of the small size but Miroku made no comment.

"Well, I guess this means there is no turning back huh?" Sango said with a forced chuckle. Kirara jumped out of her arms, shook some of the water off of her self and then began to walk down the dark corridor. Sango shined the light on her curiously and then looked back to Miroku.

"So which way should we go?" Miroku asked as he pulled off his wet shirt and wrung it out.

"Follow the leader and Kirara is it." Sango said and then jogged after her feline. Miroku soon fell into step with them as they wandered deeper into the interior of the mansion. The hallways became bigger as they continued down the winding paths, much to Miroku's relief. Sango stopped a couple of times to cough and sneeze but Kirara waited patiently as if she understood. But she always quickly began up again as if she was leading them somewhere.

Kirara guided them to a large room draped in purple and red. She quickly made herself comfortable in a small cat bed next to the large heart-shaped canopy bed in the center of the room. Sango stood in awe as she immediately gaped at the gorgeous room.

"A cat bed, what are the chances?" Sango said with a laugh as she stepped into the room to get a better look around. "This room is dazzling isn't it Miroku?" Sango asked before sneezing.

"It's nice but we need look for something to wear. You're still wet and you might end up sick." Miroku said as he pulled two doors open to find a bathroom instead of a closet. "Nothing in here…" He said before closing the door. Not before getting a nice look at the golden toilet.

"Here's a closet Miroku. And look it's just our luck; apparently a couple had this room…" Sango said waving him over. The closet had both male and female clothing and seemed to be thoroughly stocked.

Sango threw a black shirt and purple dress pants to Miroku. She then pulled out a pink and green party dress. She reached down to the bottom of the closet and pulled out some short pumps. And after discarding her muddy sandals she made her way to the bathroom to change, much to Miroku's disappointment.

It's took Miroku all of two minutes to get dressed. And then he began to wander about the room. He looked over to the bed and took in a picture that was above the head. He stopped in shock and stared.

"Miroku, do you think we should go deeper into the manor to look for Rin or just wander the halls?" Sango asked as she came out of the bathroom to find Miroku standing in the middle of the room with his mouth agape. "What are you looking at?" Sango asked as her voice died out and she took in the picture.

Sango stared at a painting of herself and Miroku. And even though they were older the resemblance was uncanny. Sango was leaning over Miroku's shoulder with her arms wrapped around his neck. Miroku was just grinning from ear to ear as he pointed to a ring that was on her finger.

"That's the ring I found our last year in high school and gave to you for Valentines…" Miroku muttered not being able to draw his eyes away from the picture.

"I know…" Sango said softly in awe as she stood on her tip toes to brush her fingers against the portrait. Her eyes examined the ring carefully and then fell down to her own hand. "I'm wearing it…"


	10. Chapter 10

_Last Time..._

"Rin, come on out. Mai was just stressed. Nothing is your fault and we are going to get out of this together…" Toni called into the empty hallway. Toni turned around quickly as he heard some shuffling behind him. "Come on Rin this isn't funny!" He said turning just in time to hear faint giggling and see a flash of red.

"I got you now Rin, come on the others are probably worried…" Toni said as he made his way towards the soft giggling. He came upon a closed door and immediately the giggling stopped. It was replaced with the sounds of crying. Toni opened the door and walked inside.

* * *

Toni slowly pushed the door open to find a small room. It had a petite bed that was draped in black silk and the floor tiling was of a red stone marble. From some reason the room reminded Toni of a blood red eye but he quickly shook the thought as he heard shuffling on the bed. Then a soft giggling noise ensued for a moment.

"Rin…" Toni started in a soft voice. "You know Mai didn't really mean it…" He said taking a steady step toward the bed. The movement stopped and silence fell upon the room.

"Hide and Seek…" A soft voice said from behind the black drapes covering the bed.

"What? You want me to find you? Rin you realize that's not much of a challenge…" Toni said before walking to the bed and opening the drapes. "No one's here… Rin where are you?" Toni called out as he turned around to come face to face with the pale image of a young woman. She was wearing red and white priestess robes and her cold brown eyes seemed to swallow him whole. She carried arrows in a quiver on her back and a bloody dagger in her hand.

"I guess that makes me it…" She said in a voice that bounced off unseen walls.

"Holy shit…" Toni whispered as he fell backwards. He pushed himself against the wall and rubbed his eyes vigorously but the woman still stood there. And then she began to count.

"One one-thousand… two one-thousand… three one-thousand…" She said in an eerie voice as she stepped away from the path that lead out of the room while closing her eyes and then covering them with her hands. Toni made a mad dash for the door and flew down the hallway in a frantic rush. His eyes dilated as he heard the counting begin to reverberate in his skull.

"Nine one-thousand… ten one-thousand… eleven one-thousand…" Toni came to a dead end as the counting ceased. "Twenty one-thousand… Ready or not, here I come… I wonder where he could be hiding…"

Toni ran into the room at the end of the hallway and looked for somewhere to hide. It was a small kitchen probably for the servants. The only places he could hide were the pantry and the cupboards that aligned the room. Toni pulled at the pantry door as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. They stopped at a room before the kitchen and went inside.

"They always run… But never very fast…" The haunting voice called out as the crashing of items began.

Toni looked up to the ceiling of the pantry in desperation and saw that there was a small storage space built above the pantry even though there was another floor above him. He climbed up the shelving unit and then into the small crawl space. He sat Indian style in almost complete darkness.

"My sister ran too the last time we played… But she was sick, so very sick. And she couldn't go very fast…"

Toni found a crack in the side of the space and stared into it intently. He tried to keep his breathing slow and steady. But it was quite hard with a manic ghost hunting him down. The ghost then went into the room across the hall and continued to talk.

"I took her by the hair… and slit her throat so I could see if her tonsils were red because her voice was hoarse. They were covered in blood so I don't know if that counts…" The ghost said nonchalantly. "How could I have predicted that the stupid little whore would die?"

Toni's eyes widened as his fingers traced his throat and he attempted not to have a heart attack. He began to rack his brain for answers. 'This is the ghost of that Lady Kikyo…' He thought to himself. 'And that means that ghost from earlier in the ballroom was her sister Kagome-sama.' This helped his nerves none so he continued to sit intently frightened almost out of his wits.

Things in the room from across the hall began to fly and crash against the wall. He was sure this was the ghost's way of looking for him. He heard a vase crash but did nothing but stare into the crack as if his life depended on it, which it did. His heart beat stopped a few times but he convinced him self to stay alive. But he wasn't sure how long it was going to work.

"But he couldn't see how much I cared for her, because he was by then hanging on the tree… They said I was crazy… Just because those two had lost Hide and Seek…"

The footsteps dragged into the kitchen and the pale woman identified as Lady Kikyo walked over to the cupboards. Her image began to disappear for a second every so often. The cupboards opened one by one as the items inside flew out to the ground.

"He should have married me! He was mine! And that bitch stole him! But I showed her! I showed them all!" She began to scream hysterically as bowls, glasses, spoons and knives flew everywhere.

This was about the time that it dawned on Toni that a kitchen was probably not the best place to hide. So many sharp objects and his soft, cut-able, flesh didn't seem to match up. But all he could do was glue his eye to the wall and hope not to be found.

"I showed them all…" She whispered before laughing hysterically as the pantry door flew open and a noose flew into her hands. She knotted one end around a pot rack that was attached to the ceiling and then a chair came toward her. She stood on it placed the loop around her neck and jumped.

Toni stopped him self from gasping as he heard the snapping of her neck. He had a clear view of her hanging in the middle of the kitchen. Her quiver had fallen and her eyes were closed but she had a firm grasp on the knife. Her eyes suddenly flew opened and stared right at him through his hiding place. And in less than a second she disappeared.

Toni sighed softly but it was short lived as a dagger plunged through the crack and into his eye. The dagger was then ripped out with his eyeball on the tip. Toni screamed in pain and anguish as part of his world became black. His fingers became instantly covered in blood and it trickled down his face. He pushed him self away from the crack narrowly missing repetitious stabs that opened the wall up.

He forced his good eye open and came face to face with nothing. But slowly from the bottom of the opening a head rose upwards. And the cold brown and now merciless eyes stared through him. "In the end, no one's really good at hide and seek…" Kikyo said softly as Toni's world plunged into a darkness filled with malicious laughs and cries of utter terror.


	11. Chapter 11

_Last Time..._

"Don't play innocent she said you name loud and clear! I can't believe this we are going to die!" Mai screamed before tears fell from her eyes and she ran into Takeshi's arms. He could do nothing to quiet her hysterics but hold her.

"So everything is my fault…" Rin muttered before turning around and then taking off.

* * *

Rin slowed to a jog as she realized no one was following her at all. She needed to get out of the mansion. Too many weird things were happening. Rin wandered the halls completely and utterly lost. She hoped that Toni and the others had gotten back to their rooms safely but she wasn't sure.

"Rin…" A voice called out to her softly as she turned another corner. "Come to me Rin…"

Rin automatically stopped dead in her tracks as her face paled. "T-Toni… Is t-that y-you?" Rin stuttered out as a cold wind wrapped around her. A shiver consumed her body as her heart beat increased drastically. She had thought that he was following her but she had heard the footsteps stop a while ago.

"Come to me…" The voice called out again this time with a little snicker at the end of the words.

"W-Who are y-you?" Rin asked as she began to instinctively back up.

"Don't go to him Rin." A more commanding voice said into her ear before echoing off into the distance. Rin started to back up quickly in condolence with the second voice which was somewhat familiar to her.

"My Rin, come to me…" The first voice said this time forcefully as a wind pushed her so hard she fell to her knees. Rin looked up as a bright red light flashed in front of her and a figure began to emerge from it. Spiders started to creep on the floor in front of the figure crawling towards Rin. "Come with me…" The figure said as a shadowy hand reached out to her.

"No." The second voice replied as golden lights began to circle around Rin's body.

"She will be mine…" The figure in front of Rin said before fading into a spiral of darkness.

"Don't trust him…" The disembodied voice said to Rin as the golden lights began to fade.

"Wait, I need to get out of here. My friend Toni… I have to find him." Rin called out to the empty hallway. But nothing responded to her calls so she forced her self up and began to walk again. As she passed a window lightening lit up the sky and for a moment Rin could have sworn she was a figure with golden eyes standing in the rain. But when she turned to get a good look nothing was there.

"I don't know what to do now…" Rin said sinking to the floor after walking for seemingly hours. Rin's eyes clouded over for a second as another lost conversation invaded her mind.

"_So what is there to do here when it's raining?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_Really my lord, there must be something to do here inside."_

"_Well there is the library."_

"_Then let's go then!"_

"I always loved the library…" Rin muttered before slapping her hand over her mouth. She couldn't figure out where that comment had even come from. "I need to get out of here I'm going crazy." Rin said to her self as she walked down a hallway and found two large doors. She carefully pushed them open and looked inside.

The room was the largest library Rin had ever seen. It was about the size of the ballroom doubled and filled to the brim with books. Rin flipped the switch but the bulb blew out. A candle sitting on a table lit itself much to Rin's surprise/terror. It took her fifteen minutes to get up enough nerve to pick it up to look around.

"Go to the back…" Another mysterious voice said in a jolly tone.

"Okay the whole disembodied voices thing is going to have to stop. I'm too chicken for this. Maybe I'm losing my mind. That or I'm dreaming… Yeah, I must be dreaming because there is no way that Mai and Sakura could have talked me into this in the first place…" Rin muttered under her breath as she began to question her own sanity.

A robust chuckle filled the room and then faded before the third bodiless voice of Rin's evening said again. "Go to the back…"

Rin automatically went straight to the back of the room. She completely gave up on her sanity and prayed silently to all known gods that could help with her cause. As she made her way through the room fireplaces magically lit themselves. She jumped and nearly touched the ceiling when this happened the first few times but she got used to it and only flinched. She finally came upon the row that she was sure she was supposed to be on. She walked down the row and books fell off of the shelf always narrowly missing her.

Rin tried her hardest not to scream as one fell in front of her and began to flip through the pages all by its self. It stopped on the cover. Rin put the candle down and sat Indian style on the floor. She picked up the book and looked at the cover. "Sketchbook…" Rin read as her fingers traced the cover which didn't have a speck of dust on it. Rin took a deep breath and opened the book.


	12. Chapter 12

_Last Time..._

_"Rin, come back!" Toni yelled after her but she didn't stop and just turned a corner. "Great, you guys go to the rooms, I'm going after her." Toni called over his shoulder as he sped down the hallway after Rin._

* * *

"Mai come back…" Takeshi called down the staircase in a t-shirt and pair of boxers. Sakura rubbed her eyes in the background as she pulled on some shoes and grabbed a jacket to put over her pajamas.

"Yeah Mai…" Sakura said as she stifled a yawn. She zipped up the jacket as Takeshi went into his room and emerged with some jeans and his own jacket. "It's too late to be wandering around this big old manor. And Toni said stay here…"

"Then why are you getting dressed?" Mai asked with a determined look in her eyes. She pulled her hair back from her face and bent down to tie her shoe laces.

"Mai, how do you expect to find them? Toni is the only one who knew the basic mapping of the grounds. None of us know where to go first in this place." Takeshi said with a sigh as he made his way down the stairs and then pulled his jeans on. Sakura followed still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"But it's my fault that they are not back here yet. I was really scared and I hurt Rin's feelings. Toni wouldn't have had to go after her if I just had kept my mouth shut. It's been two hours and we haven't heard from either of them." Mai said almost breaking down into tears.

"But we still need someone to guide us through the house…" Takeshi muttered.

"Jaken-san…" Mai said as if it were completely obvious.

"Oi… I had completely forgotten about him…" Sakura said slapping herself on the forehead.

"Well come on then…" Takeshi said as they made it to his room door. Takeshi and Mai simultaneously voted for Sakura to knock and pushed her towards the door.

Sakura's eyes almost bugged out of her head but she lifted up her hand and tapped lightly. The door creaked open and revealed a small room. The room had a full sized bed in the corner and a television set with a recliner juxtapose to it. Since the bed was empty Sakura assumed he was in the recliner. The recliner was rocking back and forth leisurely so Sakura stepped slowly into the room.

"Um… Jaken-san…" Sakura started with a bow. "We seemed to have… how should I put this? Misplaced, two of our companions and we were wondering if you could take us through the mansion so we could look for them…" Sakura said and then let out a soft sigh.

"Hum…" Jaken said before the rocking stopped. "I'm sorry I can't be of any assistance to you. Your first friend, the male, is dying and the second is entertaining the Inu no Taisho and I can't leave this room and past through the halls…"

"What do you mean Toni is dying…" Sakura said as her heart began to race, her eyes then rolled in the back of her head and she fainted.

"If you've done anything to Toni or Rin I swear I'll kill you!" Takeshi as he raced into the room to catch the falling Sakura.

The chair slowly turned around and revealed the decaying body of Jaken. His bones could be seen at many points and he looked as if someone had glued his skin back onto some portions of his body. In his arms he held a staff with two heads and his eyeball which had apparently fallen out. He pushed his eye back inside of his skull and then looked straight into Takeshi's eyes.

"On the contrary Master Takeshi, I'm already dead…"

"AWWW!" Mai screamed as she took in the appearance of the man.

"Would you stop that incoherent screeching?" Jaken yelled in a loud squeaky voice. "There are more than just me that wonder this house as you have found out. Many with whom I did not wish to cross paths with in life and in death still don't wish to cross. But there are others whom I have no choice but to meet because their spirits are not grounded to one place in the manor as mine. And still there are others whom wonder the grounds but cannot enter the home that I've only captured glimpses of through the windows. I can tell you where to find Master Toni but Rin-sama will be found only when she wishes to be found…"

During Jaken's speech, Toni had managed to drag Sakura out to the front hall and the collapsing Mai who had gone slightly hysterical. "Where can we find Toni?" Takeshi asked refusing to step foot into the room again.

"Follow the staff when the wench screams danger approaches, when the old man laughs you have found your companion…" The staff that had sat in Jaken's arms floated toward Takeshi and then commenced to stand next to his side.

A shiver went down Takeshi's back as the door to Jaken's room closed on its own and locked. He ran over to Sakura and Mai knocked them both back into reality and started the search for Toni. They had been following the staff down a hallway for about fifteen minutes when it stopped floating and the wench screamed.

"Oh no…" Takeshi muttered as he looked around frantically.

"But doesn't that mean we've found Toni?" Mai asked.

"No that means we've found danger…" Sakura said scooting closer to Mai and Takeshi and looking up and down the hall.

Soft giggles echoed around them as a cold wind blew pass. "Hide and seek…" Kikyo said as she began to rise from the floor. The knife in her hand dripped real blood onto the floor. She lifted it up to her lips and licked it off.

"Run!" Takeshi screamed as the staff took off in a direction far away from Kikyo. He grabbed Sakura's and Mai hands and pulled them down the hall.

Kikyo snickered and then covered her eyes. "One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand…"


	13. Chapter 13

_Last Time..._

Rin tried her hardest not to scream as one fell in front of her and began to flip through the pages all by its self. It stopped on the cover. Rin put the candle down and sat Indian style on the floor. She picked up the book and looked at the cover. "Sketchbook…" Rin read as her fingers traced the cover which didn't have a speck of dust on it. Rin took a deep breath and opened the book.

* * *

_On the first floor there was a window. It looked out to a garden with a great tree standing tall in it. The lightening flashed outside and a boy could be seen pinned to it. His eyes were closed and the bark had wrapped around his body. As the dark sky lit up again he was gone._

_And on the widow sill of said window sat the pale distorted image of a young woman in green. Her hand pressed against the window tracing the vanished outline of the boy. And as her image became clearer the window sill became wet. It seemed the only thing real about her now were her tears. Her fingers came to a cut on her throat and traced it. She moved her lips in a soft pattern and forced her voice out._

'_Inuyasha…'_

Rin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The sketchbook had moving pictures. It was like a movie in a book. Rin took the book and closed it gently. Her fingers grasped at the binding. "I know them?" Rin asked as she turned to the Inu no Taisho. He had introduced himself before the pictures began to move. He had also materialized in a seat at the far end of the room.

"Yes you do… Do you know where you met them?" He asked in a silky voice still laced with the jolly attitude he seemed to radiate.

"No sir…" Rin muttered.

"That is something you must find out for yourself… You wish to leave here…"

"I-I…" Rin stuttered. She didn't know the answer. "Need to get home…" Rin said as she got up and bowed at the spirit. She was frightened but she figured it was just a dream so she could fake bravery. "My friends…" Rin started as she came up from the bow to find out she was completely alone.

"_It hurts Miroku…" Sango cried out softly as she stared at the pike that had been driven through her side. Her entrails could be seen and were fighting with gravity._

"_Shhh… it will be over soon…" Miroku gasped out as another stone slab was placed on top of his chest and another of his ribs broke._

"_Tell me where you buried her!" A man with long black wavy hair demanded of his tortured prisoners._

"_Heh, you think I'll let you take my sister's remains?" Sango laughed out weakly as another pike was forced through her palm."_

"_Throw them into the river, after they can't move anymore. They are of no use to me…"_

_Sango grabbed Miroku's battered hand in hers as they were held over a cliff. "Promise you'll find me, because we are the only one's that escaped…"_

"_Next life time…" Miroku replied before they were forced over the side_.

"Sango wake up! What's wrong with you?" Miroku asked as he shook her. She had collapsed after a few seconds of touching the portrait. Miroku held her close to him and continued to attempt to rouse her.

"Damn you… Naraku…" Sango muttered.

"Naraku…" Miroku muttered just as an eerie wind blew around him and Sango. A dry laugh echoed around the room as feathers floated from seemingly no where to the floor. Miroku tensed up almost immediately and held Sango closer to him.

"Calm down… I'm here to assist…" A voice muttered through labored breaths.

"_Kagura you dare to challenge me? That cur never had feelings for you and you might as well come to terms with that fact. Now tell me where he is…" _

_Crimson eyes stood strong as a girl with black hair stared into the eyes of her master. "I don't care! I'll never tell you where Sesshoumaru went Naraku!"_

"_Then you'll die and maybe next lifetime you'll be a better servant…" _

"_I'll see you in Hell you bastard. The only reason Rin even considered marrying you was because Kikyo was going insane!"_

"_Shut up you stupid wench!" Naraku bellowed as a miasma formed around Kagura and she immediately fell to her knees._

"_And when Kikyo died Rin was finally able to go after her real love… Sesshoumaru…"_

"_Well I guess neither one of you will get him then huh?"_

"_What?" Kagura muttered as her breathing became labored._

"_I killed her and when I find her grave I'll bring her back to rule beside me…"_

"Mai!" Sakura screamed as her friend fell toward the floor. Mai screamed out in agony as her fingers grasped around her ankle.

"It's twisted at worst fractured…" Takeshi said with a quick glace at it and them grabbing the girl off of the floor.

"Fifteen one-thousand, sixteen one-thousand…" The voice of Kikyo lingered behind them. She was counting extremely slow as if it was really a game.

"Come on Takeshi we have to get out of here!" Sakura yelled stopping every few seconds waiting for her friends to catch up with her and the still floating staff of two heads.

"Just leave me you two have to get out of here…" Mai muttered.

"No we aren't going to leave you look here's a door outside. Come on we can get out…" Sakura said as she began to push a door open and ended up in a small garden. "Come on Takeshi, we can hide her here…"


	14. Chapter 14

_Last Time..._

Soft giggles echoed around them as a cold wind blew pass. "Hide and seek…" Kikyo said as she began to rise from the floor. The knife in her hand dripped real blood onto the floor. She lifted it up to her lips and licked it off.

"Run!" Takeshi screamed as the staff took off in a direction far away from Kikyo. He grabbed Sakura's and Mai hands and pulled them down the hall.

Kikyo snickered and then covered her eyes. "One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand…"

* * *

Takeshi quickly placed Mai behind a group of bushes. He then instructed Sakura to crawl under a bench that was covered in vines. He himself then ran toward the largest tree in the garden and hid from the door. And that's when time ran out…

"Ready or not, here I come…" Kikyo's voice echoed. She knew in which direction they had gone but when their energy signature headed outside to the so called 'Garden of Inu Yasha' she stopped right in her tracks and stared at the open door. Her knife fell from her grip and clattered to the floor. It then dissolved into nothingness.

Takeshi glanced toward the door as the spirit of Kikyo seemed paralyzed. She was staring at the tree he was hiding behind and that didn't make him feel any better. His wet hands felt blindly for the other side of the tree and he slowly inched around it. Takeshi sank into the trees bark and held his breath. He could no longer see the door and every time he attempted to cop a look a silvery white material would slap his face. So he just gave up for a second, closed his eyes and concentrated solely on breathing.

Sakura tried in vain to see between the old vines that covered the bench. She was being shut out from the outside world by greenery and rain. She didn't know which one scared her the most. Not being able to see the apparition or if she could see her coming. These thoughts nauseated Sakura to a point in which she tossed all food that had not been digested in her stomach and commenced to fainting again.

Mai's eyes widened as she stared at the form that was slowly but surely appearing on the tree. "Takeshi…" She tried to whisper to him but the wind carried her frightened voice away. For on the tree that Takeshi was hiding behind there was a boy with silver hair and dog ears. And in between the flashes of lightening he would appear and then disappear. And as Takeshi attempted to look at the ghost standing in the door the boy's long silver hair would slap him as if the wind had been planning it the whole time.

"You cheated! He can't help you!" Kikyo bellowed over the howling wind. "And cheaters automatically lose…"

Kikyo's eyes bore through the tree to Takeshi and a pink light began to pulsate around him. Mai screamed as his body began to levitate toward Kikyo. Sakura sat up so fast that she hit her head on the bottom of the bench and was out again. Takeshi grabbed onto the tree trunk only to realize he wasn't alone. Golden eyes flashed at him as the night sky lit up in a furious light show.

"Kikyo!" The being yelled at the top of his lungs as pure fury clouded his eyes. The light around Takeshi dispersed as Kikyo shrank away from the door. "You bitch, get me down from here!"

"Inuyasha…" But it was not Kikyo who spoke these words it was a lady in green behind her. Kikyo's eyes widened as if she was experiencing a panic attack. But slowly her wide eyes became slits as she turned toward the woman in the green gown.

"Kagome… I told you that you'd never get to him in death either… Don't you listen sister dearest?" Kikyo asked sarcastically as she flew at Kagome who simply disappeared and appeared outside making her way toward the tree.

"No come back here!" Kikyo yelled. Pink lights that soon turned black flew at an alarming rate to Kagome. But they bounced off an invisible shield as Kagome stared at the tree.

"I'm sorry; I couldn't open the door…" Kagome said as one hand covered the cut in her throat so she could speak. She then pulled at the arrow that had him attached to the tree.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha muttered as his eyes grew from furious to soft and caring within a few seconds.

"No…" Kikyo screamed from the door as Inuyasha was released from the tree. The arrow that had trapped him flew right before her feet and she could not escape. Flames engulfed her ankles and then her whole body. Chains appeared around her ankles and wrists and the ground began to swallow her. "No, Inuyasha come with me. I was first not her. You owe it to me and you know it!" She screamed franticly as she began to sink faster.

"I owe you nothing; you took my life away…" Inuyasha said as he stood up straight and took Kagome's hand. "We have to go, he's calling…" Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome nodded as the ground finally sucked Kikyo in. Kagome then turned to Takeshi, Mai and Sakura. Takeshi had pulled the now conscious Sakura and the completely paranoid Mai out of their hiding spaces. Kagome smiled and walked over to Sakura who just stared in complete fright.

"Do not fear… I want to thank you for opening the door… Give this to your friend when you find him and he will at least begin to heal…" Kagome said with her mind being as her lips did not move. She handed Sakura a small vial and then appeared next to Inuyasha again. She brushed her lips against his cheek and then the two vanished.

"…" Sakura's eyes rolled once again into the back of her head and she fainted.


	15. Chapter 15

_Last Time..._

"Naraku…" Miroku muttered just as an eerie wind blew around him and Sango. A dry laugh echoed around the room as feathers floated from seemingly no where to the floor. Miroku tensed up almost immediately and held Sango closer to him.

"Calm down… I'm here to assist…" A voice muttered through labored breaths.

* * *

"Master Miroku… It is an honor to be in your presence after so long…" The woman said with a short bow as she brushed two feathers from her face.

"How is it that you know me?" Miroku asked as he cuddled Sango to his chest, for once in a non-perverted way.

"Oh, that is for a later meeting… But I am Kagura and it is of dire importance that you and Sango-sama leave this place and locate Rin-sama." Kagura said through deep breaths. Her crimson eyes softened slightly as they came upon Kirara and she reached down to pet the cat with no objections from her.

"Uh… Kirara…" Sango muttered as she began to stir.

"I see you have survived for quite a while. You are probably the only thing that is alive from this place that didn't have to go through rebirth or get stuck in the sprit world…" Kagura said softly as she turned back to Sango.

"What Kagura… how did you get here and why can I…" Sango muttered as her eyes fluttered open drowsily.

"Wait you know her?" Miroku asked completely confused that his girlfriend was acquaintances with an apparition.

"You remember when I was younger and I had an '_imaginary friend_'? Well this is Kagura…"

Miroku looked to Kagura for an answer. "I unlike many trapped to these grounds am the wind. I control all air around me. And I was asked to keep a close eye on Sango-sama…"

"So I had a ghost following me around as a child… Wow and there go the wonder years." Sango said as she got up. "Kagura, I'm looking for my sister Rin have you seen her?"

"Of course, I will take you there but we must hurry. The meeting is beginning and I have to be present, even though I am often considered a threat…"

"_What news is it that you have of Sesshoumaru?" The Inu no Taisho asked his faithful old servant Jaken who had arrived earlier beaten to a pulp on the back of Aun._

"_Mi lord, Sesshoumaru-sama is dead. While fighting that hanyou bastard Naraku he received some very grave wounds. Naraku is also laid to rest but it was at the sacrifice of Lord Sesshoumaru's life. I'm sorry mi lord…" Jaken muttered as he bowed his bruised skull. "I, mi lord, barely escaped the battle ground. Lord Sesshoumaru used so much poison…"_

"_He was blinded by the passion he held for that girl. If he had been thinking more clearly, like he normally does… But what does it matter just as she said my empire is crumbling at my feet. I have lost my sons, my wife and the legacy that comes with such things. What is the point of continuing this existence?"_

She was being held; it was the only sensation her body was aware of. She knew she was warm but something else was surrounding her. '_Need, want, longing for an eternity, loved… I'm loved aren't I?_' Rin's mind subconsciously thought.

"Yes you are…" Something from the real world whispered against her flesh.

That's when her body became aware of fingers. Caressing, tracing, burning her bare skin with a passion equal to that of a thousand suns… Rin gasped as she felt lustful kisses cross her skin. Her center began to heat up as she tried to rouse herself and open her eyes from what she was sure of had to be a dream, because nothing in the real world felt that good. "Remember me…" The voice demanded filled with lust.

"But I can't…" Rin moaned as a tongue flicked against her now erect nipple. She tried to force her eyes open put they would not listen to her at all.

"Try…" The voice came again less demanding this time and more in a haze.

Rin gripped what she assumed to be sheets behind her as she felt something hard press against her entrance. "But…" Rin attempted to start.

"Try." Came the voice now filled with a lazy calmness. That tone in which one knows that they have something you want and with this knowledge they commence to dangling it over your head.

Rin attempted to push herself upwards in vain and didn't receive what she wanted. Her center pounded to be fulfilled. 'He's teasing me again…" Rin thought furiously not even realizing that the idea passed through her mind. "Stop teasing me Sesshoumaru!" Rin yelled out of pure instinct as her chocolate eyes flew open and met golden ones.

A soft smirk tugged at a pair of thin lips which Rin for some reason always imagined stoic. Two red stripes were drawn perfectly on two slender cheeks. And a forehead marked with a blue crescent moon which Rin automatically wished to trace with her fingers. Strands of silver hair pooled around her body as she stared up in shock. "That's all I wanted you to say…" Sesshoumaru replied before slowly fading away into nothingness.

"_You have to be kidding me Rin, you like Sesshoumaru?"_

"_Yep and one day when I go back to the Western Lands I'm going to marry him…" A young Rin around 12 muttered._

"_Yeah right and me and mutt boy are going to have 10 pups running around the castle before your wedding…" Kagome said rolling her eyes. _

"_Hey it could happen…" Rin replied with a shrug._

"_Hahaha… no. And as your acknowledgeable half cousin on your mother's side thrice removed and elder than you by 14 months and 14 days, I must say you are insane…"_

"_Hey it's always okay to dream…"_


	16. Chapter 16

_Last Time..._

Toni sighed softly but it was short lived as a dagger plunged through the crack and into his eye. The dagger was then ripped out with his eyeball on the tip. Toni screamed in pain and anguish as part of his world became black. His fingers became instantly covered in blood and it trickled down his face. He pushed him self away from the crack narrowly missing repetitious stabs that opened the wall up.

He forced his good eye open and came face to face with nothing. But slowly from the bottom of the opening a head rose upwards. And the cold brown and now merciless eyes stared through him. "In the end, no one's really good at hide and seek…" Kikyo said softly as Toni's world plunged into a darkness filled with malicious laughs and cries of utter terror.

* * *

"Toni, wake up! Wake up damn it!" Sakura screamed as she banged onto his chest after Takeshi had pulled him from the hole in the wall. Tears fell from her eyes. "Please wake up, don't leave me…" She whispered as she pulled out the vial Kagome had given her.

"She said he would start to heal… But Sakura he barely has a heart beat…" Mai said from her place on the floor.

"I don't care!" Sakura said pouring the liquid into Toni's mouth. A few seconds later Toni began to cough violently.

"ARGH!" He grunted out as his hand automatically held onto the place where his eye should have been.

"Toni, I need to know if you can open your other eye…" Sakura said softly as Takeshi and Mai looked on amazed.

"Sakura, you have to get out of here. There's a ghost with a knife, she's insane, leave me behind…" Toni said in a frenzied voice.

"Shhh…" Sakura cooed as she tore some cloth from her shirt and began to wrap his head. "She's gone now…"

Toni seemed to calm at these words and at her gentle touch. "Did you find Rin?" he asked.

"Rin won't be found until she wants to be found…" Takeshi said for the first time since he had found his friend.

"What? Where did you hear that from?" Toni asked.

"That can be explained later… lie down and open the eye that isn't missing…"Mai said crawling toward Sakura and Toni. "Sakura apply pressure to the other one, I think it's still bleeding."

After Toni was able to open his eye and assured them that he was capable of some sight they made their way out of the kitchen. "I don't want to be here at all… We need to tell Jaken-san we are out of here…"

Sakura flinched. "Toni…" Mai started patiently as if she was talking to a child. "Jaken-san is dead… He's been dead for quite a while…" Mai said slowly.

"He gave us that staff that Takeshi has to find you. It led us to you and if we had been any later…" Sakura stated softly as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I would be dead…"

"_Sesshoumaru…" She whispered as his fingers trailed down her curves._

"_Shhh…" he cooed into her ear. She was his prey and chasing her had always been a thrill._

_She giggled softly as his bangs tickled her neck. "But we have a meeting in ten minutes…"_

"_Fashionably late…" Sesshoumaru muttered, his hands slipping between the folds of her kimono._

"_But we have to go…" Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and scooped her up. "Wait, where are we going?"_

"_To the meeting or our quarters pick one because either way I will have you…"_

"_Then to the meeting it is… I always wanted to make out on that big table."_

White orbs gathered around the table in the meeting hall. "Someone needs to inform her why she is here…" the Inu no Taisho said as his image began to appear at the head of the table.

"Where's Sesshoumaru? He's the one who called this meeting…" Inuyasha said as Kagome and his outlines became apparent.

"Right here little brother…" Sesshoumaru replied in a more solid form than the others as he walked into the room and took a seat next to his father.

"The issues here today should be the Shikon no Tama and the reincarnations of Lady Sango, Lord Miroku and Lady Rin…" Kagome's voice rang out.

"We've been searching for almost a whole century to find where Kagome hid it. And without it we can not escape this weird dimension." Izayoi said calmly.

"You still don't remember anything Kagome?" Inu Yasha asked softly.

"No, only that it's on the grounds… When Kikyo came after me I had a fever and I can't remember much of anything during that time. I remember getting up from my bed and after that, nothing until I started floating…" Kagome said softly all the while holding onto her neck.

"Sesshoumaru, we need you to ask her if she can…" the Inu no Taisho started.

"I refuse." Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly.

"Sesshoumaru we understand that she was your mate and she will have to leave her own dimension to wish us out of this one but you forget there are hundreds of souls stuck to this plane and her sacrifice would free us all."

"I will not ask her to die and leave behind the place that she has rightfully earned for my sake."

"Damn it Sesshoumaru, let go of your pride this isn't about you!"

"Nor is it about you Inuyasha, I see no reason for you to complain. Your mate sits next to you. You two are not held apart by a clause in a spell that was an accident." Sesshoumaru said coldly.

"So you are just going to let us stay here and suffer? What if one day Naraku discovers Rin's remains, even you won't be able to protect her if…" Inu Yasha started.

"That's enough. The subject of Rin-chan is in Sesshoumaru's hands. If he decides to let her leave without the one sacrifice that can release us all from this eternal suffering, then our souls lie in his hands." The Inu no Taisho said with finality.

"I will not ask anything of her; it is her own decision…" Sesshoumaru replied.

"And the case of Naraku and Rin-chan's original remains..." The Inu no Taisho started.

"I've been watching them since her death…"

"But where are they Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru did not reply. Instead he began to fade into nothingness. "Damn him…" Inuyasha muttered.

"Inuyasha calm down… I'm sure your brother will come to terms with this reality soon enough." Izayoi said patting her son's head.

"Half-brother… the bastard and where the hell is Kagura she was supposed to be here already!"


	17. Chapter 17

_Last Time..._

Rin attempted to push herself upwards in vain and didn't receive what she wanted. Her center pounded to be fulfilled. 'He's teasing me again…" Rin thought furiously not even realizing that the idea passed through her mind. "Stop teasing me Sesshoumaru!" Rin yelled out of pure instinct as her chocolate eyes flew open and met golden ones.

* * *

Rin pulled the sheets up to her chest finding that somewhere along the way she had lost all articles of clothing. "Sesshoumaru…" Rin whispered. Her fingers dug into the pearl colored silk covers and satin sheets.

Her hair flew around her carelessly tousled by a being that had disappeared before her very eyes. It took Rin a few minutes to get the courage to actually get out of the bed. She placed her bare feet on the marble floor and wrapped the sheet around her nude body. She looked around the room only to find a silky night gown laid out for her with little matching slippers complete with golden chopsticks for her hair.

Rin suddenly looked down to her wrist to notice the time. 'I've been gone so long… I need to get back…' She thought to herself.

Rin grabbed the night gown and quickly threw it on. Not before a voice entered her mind, much like the flashes of memory she had been receiving the whole time, '_You know I love it when you wear that gown…_'

Rin's face involuntary turned a bright red as her own voice echoed through her mind. '_I think you only like it when I let you take it off Sesshoumaru…_'

'_I knew you were smarter than you let on…_'

'_Don't think I won't leave your bed cold tonight._'

'_I'd like to see you escape my room…_'

'_We'll see…_'

Rin continued to blush furiously as if her brain were eavesdropping on a personal conversation. Rin pulled her hair up into a bun with the chop sticks and walked out of the room. "Who are you, Sesshoumaru?" She asked the walls as she began the search for her friends.

"_Don't care for me… Don't cry, let's say good bye… Adieu…" Sango sang as Rin played on the piano. "It's time to say goodbye, I know that in time it will just fade away. It's time to say goodbye…"Rin flipped her hair from the keys as her sister sang out from her soul. "My love for you burns deep inside me, so strong… Embers of times we had, and now here I stand, lost in a memory... I see your face and smile…"_

_Sango and Rin wrapped up their performance and bowed to the applauding audience. "Why pick such a sad song Sango?" Kagome asked as she walked up to the duo._

"_She was just thinking about Miroku-kun and how he's probably going to propose to her if he ever gets back…" Rin said with a smirk which earned her a slap on top of the head from Sango._

"_Miroku likes that song and I was singing it from him…" Sango said with a slight blush._

"_I think that you did a beautiful job Sango…" Miroku said coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist._

"_Miroku, when did you get back? "Sango asked as Kagome dragged Rin away from the reunited couple._

"_Five minutes ago, I missed you too…"_

"This way, we must hurry; there is a meeting that I am late for happening at this instant. It's only a little more to Rin-sama…" Kagura said as her transparent body floated on a feather ahead of Sango and Miroku.

"Wait a second, Miroku what's wrong?" Sango asked as Miroku stood in a stupor.

"That song you were singing Sango…" Miroku muttered. "When I came back from the war…"

"What are you talking about, what song, what war?" Sango asked completely confused as she tugged at his hand impatiently.

"Ah, Rin-sama is awakening her past memories and it's affecting you too." Kagura said.

"Wait awakening what? And why does Rin have to do with everything?" Sango asked completely confused as she dragged Miroku along with her.

Kagura sighed slightly as she began to tell the tale. "Rin-sama is the last Higurashi who received miko powers. And even though Kagome-sama's powers are much more powerful, Rin-sama is alive which means her energy works within this realm extremely well. Sango-sama you did not receive miko powers instead you were a gifted demon slayer. And Miroku-sama was a lord with money who went to live with his uncle to become a monk…"

"What do you mean were?" Miroku asked finally coming back into reality.

"Oh, you two still don't understand. You are the reincarnations of two of the leaders of this court. And Rin was mated to the head honcho, next in line for control of the Western Lands Sesshoumaru…" Kagura said. "Now hurry…"


	18. Chapter 18

_Last Time..._

"That's enough. The subject of Rin-chan is in Sesshoumaru's hands. If he decides to let her leave without the one sacrifice that can release us all from this eternal suffering, then our souls lie in his hands." The Inu no Taisho said with finality.

"I will not ask anything of her; it is her own decision…" Sesshoumaru replied.

"And the case of Naraku and Rin-chan's original remains..." The Inu no Taisho started.

"I've been watching them since her death…"

"But where are they Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru did not reply. Instead he began to fade into nothingness.

* * *

His pale image flickered near the well house and slowly became somewhat solid. He headed toward the edge of the old forgotten bone-eaters well, careful side stepping a group of boards that covered an unmarked grave.

His pearly claws dipped into the dirt and he brought it to his face and examined it carefully. He sniffed it slightly and then rose from his position on the well. He walked over to the boards and moved them away. He revealed what looked like a fresh grave though it had been there for many years. It pulsated softly as flowers slowly sprouted from the ground.

"So it shall be… my Rin…" Sesshoumaru whispered softly before fading away into an abyss he himself had created.

"_Sesshoumaru… I'm so…" her breath was ragged, her face was drenched in sweat and her skin had lost all color. _

"_Shhh… we are going to get you help." Sesshoumaru said to Rin as he rushed through the trees. _

"_It's pointless… Sesshoumaru… I'm going to die…"It needed to be said though neither wanted to say it. "Our child… will be… coming with me…" Rin wheezed softly and coughed up some blood. _

_Sesshoumaru stopped in the clearing and stared at her. "I know." He said simply. He had heard the heartbeat of his unborn child stop soon after he had gathered her up in his arms. "Is it useless?" Rin nodded at him and looked out into the clearing they were standing in. _

"_I wanna… go… there…" She said pointing toward the old well house. _

_Sesshoumaru carried her into the old structure which was not even part of his territory. He sat her inside against one wall and leaned against the one that was adjacent to her. Rin absentmindedly rubbed her hand over her stomach. "So… many… plans… not… enough… time…" She closed her eyes and spoke for the last time. "If… only… we had… more time…" Her hand fell lifelessly to her side and her whole body went limp. _

"Sango!" Rin practically screamed as she jumped straight into her sister's arms and began to sob hysterically. "I thought that… I wouldn't get back… to say goodbye and…" Rin stuttered out.

"Rin… we've been looking for you for a while." She said stroking the younger girl's hair comfortingly. "Listen to me Rin… there are some really weird things happening around here." She said holding out her younger sister and staring her straight in the eyes.

"I know this place is totally haunted. And there's this guy and…"

"Rin, we have to get out of here. Where are your friends?" Miroku said cutting her off.

"I don't know…" Rin said softly. "They said that this whole thing was my fault. That the ghosts were after me and I… couldn't help but believe them so, I ran off. I thought Toni was behind me but I think I turned a corner and he went straight or something like that."

"Rin, I hate to be the one to tell you this but a lot of the stuff happening here really does have to do with you…" Miroku said.

"See, Kagura thinks…"

"Who's Kagura, isn't that the name of you 'imaginary friend' that Kohaku kept…" Rin started.

"Yeah that's her. Well she's actually a ghost and all the ghosts here think that you, me and Miroku are reincarnations of people of their court. They are supposedly having a meeting discussing us right now…"

"This is why we need to gather up the rest of your party and get out of here. I don't know about you two but I think I have a lot of things to do before I die." Miroku muttered.

"Kirara…" Rin cried softly as her eyes widened.

"Oh I almost forgot Kirara was with us…" Sango said still facing Rin.

Rin twirled Sango around so fast that she almost fell. Sango realized what was happening and held back a scream. Kirara hissed loudly as spiders began to appear from nowhere and make their way toward the group. The smell of burnt flesh surrounded them and Rin almost threw up but Miroku had another plan. He grabbed both Rin and Sango's hands and began to sprint down the hall. A deep crackle erupted behind them before all three of them feel backwards into nothingness.


	19. Chapter 19

_Last Time..._

Sango realized what was happening and held back a scream. Kirara hissed loudly as spiders began to appear from nowhere and make their way toward the group. The smell of burnt flesh surrounded them and Rin almost threw up but Miroku had another plan. He grabbed both Rin and Sango's hands and began to sprint down the hall. A deep crackle erupted behind them before all three of them feel backwards into nothingness.

* * *

As she fell she knew she was gaining momentum and when she expected to hit a surface she began to float. She landed on the wet ground outside of the manor. The rain had stopped even though thunder could be heard rumbling off in the distance. She looked around frantically for Miroku and Sango. "Sango! Miroku!" Rin called out as the wind wrapped around her and made her cold. But it did no good, she was alone again.

It may have seemed crazy to anyone else but Rin did not head to the manor. She turned heel and ran, the yellowbellied-ness of her act making her a little sick. But somehow after a night of terror, confusion and total exhaustion, Rin came to the conclusion that if she ran away at least the problems that seemed to be circling around her would follow. And that way her friends and family could be safe.

So she ran through the woods as shadows seemingly chased after her and branches reached out to grab her. Even the roots of the trees looked as though they were against her, appearing in the dark with no warning causing her to almost fall to her knees a few times.

"_What are you running from my sweet little Rin?_" The malicious voice from earlier inquired.

Tears began to fall from her eyes but she didn't dare to look behind her. "Just leave me alone!" Rin screamed before tripping over a tree root and falling to the ground.

She turned over and stared into a pair of blood red eyes. Raven hair cascaded over pale shoulders as the omniscient figure covered in an animal pelt smirked at her. Her breath caught in her throat as icy fingers reached out towards her. A clawed finger traced down her left cheek cutting the delicate skin of her face. _"You know I can't do that Rin…"_ He said in a dangerous tone as he licked her blood from his claw.

"Please just let me and my friends go. None of us asked for this…" Rin said softly pleading with the monster from all of her nightmares.

"_You asked for this when you betrayed me! You little whore!" _He said picking her up and then casting her against a tree. _"You practically screamed for this! Every time you kissed __**his**__ lips!_"

Rin pulled herself up and ran but she could not out run the words. "Help me!" She cried but her scream was unheard.

"_Every time you caressed __**his**__ cheek! Every time you graced __**him**__ with __**your**__ smile!_" Rin came to a clearing in the center of it lay a small well house and she bolted toward the door. But as she tried to jingle the handle she found out it was locked. She spun around quickly and found the demon less than a foot away from her face. _"Every time you laid in __**his**__ bed and let __**him**__ have __**his**__ way with you like a common whore, you were __**screaming**__ for this.__** I**__ am the most powerful. __**I**__ am Naraku."_ Rin's eyes widened as she pushed her back against the door subconsciously willing it to give. But it was to no avail and Naraku reached out to her and grabbed the back of her thigh, an evil gleam appearing in his eyes.

"_And choosing that cur over me is a sin and I will punish you for the rest of eternity for every time you are reborn I will hunt you down and take you."_ He leaned in toward her and traced his finger tips against the wound on her cheek. His tongue then followed the path his fingers once trotted, his hot breath on her face, his cold spit on her cheek. Rin trembled in terror while allowing tears to fall and not replying to the accusations she did not understand. Her heart raced in fear and she held back a soft whimper. "_Then when I'm done, I will kill you and throw all of your corpses into a hole so deep that the insects will not be able to help your body in its decomposition…_"

Naraku grabbed Rin's chin with his index finger and thumb and pulled her face toward his own. "_You are mine…_" He said in a deadly whisper as he attempted to kiss Rin, at that instance the door fell inward and with it Rin.

She scuttled in the dark backwards as Naraku hit a barrier and cursed at her. Rin continued to back up until she hit something soft and warm. She turned around and a bright light hit her eyes. In front of her lay a bloody body of a woman, her stomach protruding from her light blue ball gown. Her eyes stared into Rin's as if reading her soul. But it wasn't the fact that the woman that Rin would have sworn for dead had began to reach out to her that made her scream. No, it was something else… It was the fact that she was staring at an identical copy of herself and her own death was flashing before her very eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

_Last Time..._

After Toni was able to open his eye and assured them that he was capable of some sight they made their way out of the kitchen. "I don't want to be here at all… We need to tell Jaken-san we are out of here…"

Sakura flinched. "Toni…" Mai started patiently as if she was talking to a child. "Jaken-san is dead… He's been dead for quite a while…" Mai said slowly.

"He gave us that staff that Takeshi has to find you. It led us to you and if we had been any later…" Sakura stated softly as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I would be dead…"

* * *

"I know this is a hard decision but it isn't safe for us to be here…" Takeshi said after the small group had made its way back to the grand staircase.

"But you're talking about leaving Rin here, alone." Toni said while sitting down on the floor and lying back.

"The sacrifice of one for four… Now it really does seem like a horror movie." Sakura muttered sitting next to Toni. She hadn't been out of an arm's reach of him since they had found him.

"It doesn't seem right; I mean if something happens to Rin while…" Mai started.

"For all we know something could have already happened to her. What if she's lying dead somewhere in one of these rooms…" Takeshi said getting loud for the first time that night.

"Damn it Takeshi, don't say stuff like that!" Sakura said angrily.

"He's right though…" Mai said sniffling a little as tears ran down her face. "Rin could already be… dead… and we could spend vital minutes here and lose someone else. There's really no way to know."

"She's not dead though…" Sakura said seemingly trying to convince herself of the fact.

"But Toni was almost killed and Rin isn't as strong…" Takeshi started.

"But that doesn't mean we just give up on her!" Toni shouted the full impact of Takeshi's words settling down on him. "Rin is one of my best friends! I'd chew off my arm before I'd leave her in a place like this not knowing her fate!" Toni pushed him self of the floor and headed toward a random hallway, Sakura right at his heels.

"Where are you two going? We need to get out of here!" Mai called after them.

Toni stopped and turned around. To his left on the floor was the video camera. It was forgotten so early in their adventure that a few flakes of dust had settled on to it. He bent down and picked it up and stared at it with his good eye. His fingers brushed against it tenderly as he blew some of the dust off.

"I knew she didn't want to come. But I figured you two could get her. Rin was always kind of shy, didn't like going out much…" Toni sighed and grabbed Sakura's hand lacing his fingers through hers. "I couldn't live with myself if I didn't find her… Besides, I'd do the same for anybody in this room."

Takeshi looked toward the door his fingers caressing the ancient wood. Mai moved toward Sakura and Toni hesitantly. She looked at Takeshi for conformation and he nodded. With a soft sigh he made his way from the only true exit from the manor.

"I guess I have to go. Sakura's blind as a bat and Mai has no sense of direction. So I guess we're off…"

_Kikyo stood over Kagome's slain body. Her rabid eyes thirsting for blood but there was something more important to the cause. "Damn it, where is the jewel? If I ever want Inuyasha to be with me I must have the jewel!" Kikyo exclaimed to no one. _

_She bent down in the pool of Kagome's blood and searched her person. She ripped the silky night gown from Kagome's cooling corpse but found nothing. She stood up quickly in an angry rage. The tips of her hair doused in her sister's blood, the folds of her once pure white sleeves stained by its unmistakable crimson color._

_She narrowed her eyes at Kagome's body and kicked it for good measure. "I don't need that god be damned jewel to be with Inu Yasha forever!" She declared loudly as she rushed out of the room and down into the kitchen._

When Sango found herself upon cold marble she really had no idea where she was. Her first thought was that she had fallen asleep on Miroku's kitchen floor. That would have been a good answer except for the fact that Miroku's floor was fake marble. She groaned slightly and opened her eyes only to scream at the sights that greeted her.

When Miroku awoke he was sure that Sango was pecking him sweetly. "I love you to Sango… but what's that retched smell?" He muttered before opening his eyes and staring into the face of an enormous putrid rat. Simultaneously with his yelp, Sango screamed. But their reasons at this point and time were different but they soon got on the same page.

Both Miroku and Sango were sitting now in the middle of a large family tomb, rotting corpses surrounding them on all sides. Other than themselves and Kirara, the tomb held about fourteen bodies dressed in fine linens from the turn of the century, it also held its share of roaches, centipedes, and as mentioned earlier rats.

Sango for the first time in her life had a '_girl moment_' and squealed loudly every time she turned her head, so racked were her nerves from this whole experience. This in turn distracted Miroku who wanted to get a closer look at the bodies but was having a problem with his claustrophobia. And this is probably why it took them a total of sixteen minutes to realize that they were one person short of a crowd.


	21. Chapter 21

Last Time...

In front of her lay a bloody body of a woman, her stomach protruding from her light blue ball gown. Her eyes stared into Rin's as if reading her soul. But it wasn't the fact that the woman that Rin would have sworn for dead had began to reach out to her that made her scream. No, it was something else… It was the fact that she was staring at an identical copy of herself and her own death was flashing before her very eyes.

* * *

Prickling and burning… Her flesh was dieing from the inside out. And there was nothing she could do. She couldn't breath, she couldn't scream. All she could do was die, and this time she was all alone.

Rin's fingers dug deep into the wet earth. She tried to scream but she coughed up blood instead. Her body shook violently as she tried to focus on anything in the well house. But all she could see was the woman with her face. "Does your soul deserve… to finish what started so long ago?" The older asked as her cold fingers gripped at the younger Rin's wrist. "Are you worthy of the love of our lord? Or are you just a cheap imitation, a fragment of my soul resurrected into a pitiful being?" The older pulled Rin up to her face and stared in her eyes. "Are you deserving of the mark of the crescent clan? Can you hold the weight of _this_ entire world on your shoulders? Only then will I give you the rest of your soul, only when you can prove it to me…"

"I don't have shit to prove to you…" Rin forced out in a rush. "I'm still here aren't I?"

The older let go of Rin's wrist and smiled. "So much alike in the mind you and I…." The older muttered. "He will get the remains…" She said as the pain started to ease away from Rin's body. "That barrier is weak. You will have to defeat him when he has complete control over your body. You will have to save us all from eternal damnation…" The older leaned over and came face to face with Rin. They both stared into identical chocolate colored eyes. "We are the same and yet so different… but I accept you and may I return to you the last piece of you soul, the piece that is a miko…" With that the older kissed Rin on the lips and burst into a million different blue lights.

Rin took a deep breath. And she knew. She knew all about her past. The murder, the pain, the suffering, the unborn child, it was her unborn child. And Naraku had taken it all away. And it was all in the name of jealousy, because she didn't want to take Kikyo's place as his bride. Because she had fallen in love with another. Because he was just an evil son of a bitch. And as the barrier finally broke and Naraku walked toward her with a calm, practiced ease, she silently cursed him to the deepest part of hell.

_She sat on her knees, her hood drawn around her pale skin. Only choice amounts of silver hair showing. Her fingers repeating motions too fast to see with the naked eye. Yet it was to no avail, the curse was still there. And it was over people who had done no wrong. She found a blade in the dark and slit her wrists. She dripped the blood into a silver goblet until it over flowed and then she spoke again. It was the only offering she had left. _

"_Father, please help your wayward child. I have practiced the banished sorcery all for the sake of a false jealousy. Please, your grandson sleeps under this curse. I cannot allow him to grow up in his own lands because of it." The woman bowed before the mummified corpse of her father. His silver hair dull and lifeless. His skin dry and hard. And yet she prayed to him for help, for she had used forbidden magic. _

"_You give…" the mummy said slowly with out moving any part of his body other than his jaw. "Your life's blood… only to have me… tell you what you have known all along… The curse can not be broken… by you…" _

"_Father… There must be…" _

"_You are the Lady of the West; such clouded and mindless actions should have never been taken. But you will learn for you will be damned to wander this place until the last second of eternity. It is the punishment of all whom use the ancient curses. And you shall not be spared Semishia." _

_The woman bowed deeply to her father's corpse which lost its power and went to rest again. Her life blood split from her body. And with it she drew a pentagram and lay in it. If she was to be stuck between heaven and hell she should not be given the chance to wander the world that she had betrayed. So she lay in the center of the sign and with her last ounce of strength drew a crescent moon on both sides of her wrists and ankles, then she spit on all four. She shackled her spirit to the mausoleum and she would never be free of the place. The highest punishment she could afford herself for such a high sin._

"Rin… Where are you?" Sango called out her voice echoing off of the walls.

"She's not here Sango. We must have gotten separated when we fell." Miroku said looking around the small space and seeing no one alive from which he could gain assistance.

There was a soft rustle suddenly behind Sango and she and Miroku turned around expectantly as Kirara sat on the floor and carefully groomed herself. "Rin, is that you?" Sango asked before she recognized the sound of chains.

The chains rustled against the marble making dreadful clinking sounds. And yet, they were made of blood. A woman dressed completely in white, her hair a shiny silver, and her eyes a clear crystal blue made her way in front of Miroku and bowed slightly. "Miroku-kun… I have not seen you since you were knee high to a grass hopper and yet, I've been expecting you." The woman said clapping her ghostly white hands together with a slow lanky movement caused by her chains of blood.

"Lady Semishia?" Miroku asked the name familiar and yet he knew of no one with the name.

"Hai… I see your memories are still gradually returning to you. But let me inform you of why I have brought you here… You are here to retrieve the Shikon no Tama…"


	22. Chapter 22

_Last Time..._

The older let go of Rin's wrist and smiled. "So much alike in the mind you and I…." The older muttered. "He will get the remains…" She said as the pain started to ease away from Rin's body. "That barrier is weak. You will have to defeat him when he has complete control over your body. You will have to save us all from eternal damnation…" The older leaned over and came face to face with Rin. They both stared into identical chocolate colored eyes. "We are the same and yet so different… but I accept you and may I return to you the last piece of you soul, the piece that is a miko…" With that the older kissed Rin on the lips and burst into a million different blue lights.

* * *

The darkness of the well house seemed to engulf her. And as Naraku stepped into her territory she wished it would. She had felt it when her previous self had kissed her that she had been given another body. And yet she felt that she was missing something. Something very important, that Naraku had no business getting into.

Rin stood now on her long pale legs and swayed at their new height. Her fingers tried to grasp at the wood of the well for support. But her arms were longer than she remembered and she ended up falling backwards. She heard a chuckle from the door frame and stared ice daggers at the outline of Naraku.

"Now this is strange… The teenaged reincarnation gains a few years in a few seconds and ends up at the age twenty-five, which is the age that she died before." Naraku said quizzically. "And how is this possible?" He asked turning his vulture like eyes toward Rin.

"That's none of your damn business you bastard!" Rin said angrily as a blue colored flame flashed across Naraku's cheek. But he ignored it for it had done him no damage.

"I see now… My search has ended for you have stumbled upon your own remains. But I have to inform you now that they are _mine_." He said darkly as his hand pointed toward where just a few minutes ago the ghost of Rin's past self had laid. The dirt spiraled and twirled revealing a skull which floated into Naraku's hands.

Rin spat on him with the last part of her will power and he laughed demonically at her attempts to fight off his powerful magic. For in his hands he held her remains and the key to her soul. And there was nothing she could do. Her eyes clouded over and she felt as though she no longer had control over her body.

She was pulled up and took a step toward Naraku, her dark hair swinging wispily behind her. Naraku smirked and grabbed her chin in a bruising manner. He crushed his lips against hers in one angry movement.

"No…" Rin muttered as she tried to move her body away from him. But she still had no control of her limbs.

Naraku stared into her eyes with a menacing glare. "You will never tell me _no_ again bitch." He then back handed her across her face and spat at her feet. "Now, you will find the Shikon no Tama for me and then the ceremony will begin…" He walked toward the exit of the well house and without so much as a backwards glance to her he muttered "Come…" and left. And Rin could do nothing but cry silently as her body picked it self up and followed obediently behind Naraku.

_It was not everyday that someone from the castle died. Therefore it was not everyday that she heard news of the outside world. Semishia had been floating in the endless void, as she did so often these days, when she was 'awakened' by the sounds of the tomb opening. _

_Four men entered each pair carrying a body. They gently laid one on the upper selves and the other was cast to the ground. _

_They all stopped and seemed to be resting for a while. "I can't believe that crazy wench killed her own sister. Lady Kagome never did harm to anyone…" One said as he leaned against the wall. _

"_Aye, Kagome-sama was a friend to all. Even Inuyasha-sama didn't act like a bastard when she was around." Another said as he lit up a pipe and inhaled the smoke. "You know the Inu no Taisho believes Inuyasha is dead and that Kikyo killed him too…" _

"_Jaa… it's been floating all about the castle… But enough of these depressing things, did you hear Rin-sama is with child?" The third said as he bounced from one leg to another. _

"_I wondered how long it would take for Lord Sesshoumaru to knock her up, eh?" The fourth said with a lazy grin. _

"_It really is such a shame…" The second chuckled out. "Such innocence stolen by Sesshoumaru-sama…"The men laughed and after paying their last respects to the body on the shelf they left. _

_Semishia floated over to Kagome's body and sadly looked down upon her. Her frame was frail and it seemed like everything possible was done to bring attention away from the girls slit throat. Semishia's long' fingers became firm and reached out to stroke the girl's body. But she couldn't touch her for a barrier coated her body. _

"_Very interesting…"Semishia said as she attempted the movement again with the same result. _

"As time wore on Miroku-kun, I realized that it wasn't the after effects of her powers still trapped in her body. Instead…" Semishia Said as she lifted her heavy hands toward a row of corpses and pushed them back to reveal one with a draped green cloak over it. "It was something much more…"

Semishia smiled as Miroku reached forward to draw the cloak off of the well preserved body it hid. "But you said this body is almost a century old…" Miroku muttered.

"It is… and the Shikon no Tama has preserved it for all this time."

"And where is the jewel?" Sango asked holding her breath and only taking choice glances at the corpse.

Semishia clapped her hands together with her prolonged movements and let a silly grin plaster itself against her regal face. The two just didn't seem to fit yet it looked quite adorable on her face. "She swallowed it…"

"What!" Sango exclaimed as Miroku's jaw dropped.

"Before Kikyo cornered her sister and slit her throat. Kagome-chan placed the jewel in her mouth and swallowed. Other that Inuyasha she knew that was what her sister was after so she popped it in…"

"And how do we get it out?" Miroku asked as Sango began her second girl moment of the day behind Miroku jumping up and down in disbelief and holding on to her throat.

"I don't know… That's why you are here."


	23. Chapter 23

_Last Time..._

Takeshi looked toward the door his fingers caressing the ancient wood. Mai moved toward Sakura and Toni hesitantly. She looked at Takeshi for conformation and he nodded. With a soft sigh he made his way from the only true exit from the manor.

"I guess I have to go. Sakura's blind as a bat and Mai has no sense of direction. So I guess we're off…"

* * *

"Oh my god Rin, we've been looking all over for you!" Mai said running toward Rin with her arms out stretched. "We have to get out of here!"

"No, don't come any closer." Rin said roughly. He was torturing her. He brought her to her friends and now was commanding her to kill them. But she couldn't. Her muscles burnt at she forced her hands to her side.

"Rin, what's wrong?" Sakura asked as she too took a step forward.

"You guys… get out of here… I can't stop him, but I can save you…" Rin's nails dug deep into her soft palms and they began to bleed.

"Rin, what happened to you? Are you taller, and how'd your hair grow so long… Rin? Rin…" Toni asked as Takeshi grabbed both Sakura and Mai and began to pull them away from Rin whose hair began to lift from her shoulders in an eerie wind. Toni edged a bit closer to her.

"GET OUT NOW!" Rin screamed as she fell to her knees in pain. She couldn't continue to resist him. She didn't have enough energy left.

"What did I tell you about saying '_no'_ Rin?" Naraku voice said haughtily behind her in the darkness. "_KILL THEM!"_

Rin curled up into a ball as the pain raked over her body in waves. Toni started toward her more urgency in his step. "NO! RUN!" Rin screamed as her pupils dilated and started to lose their color.

"Not without you!" Toni said finally reaching her. Toni pulled her face up to him and stared at the aged appearance of his friend. Her eyes were smaller than he remembered. Her face was more sensual and less chubby. Her lips were fuller her chest way more developed and yet, as he stared into her eyes it seemed as though they were being emptied out. As if her soul was sand slipping through someone's fingers on a windy day.

"I'm sorry…" Rin muttered as Toni, Sakura, Mai, and Takeshi began to glow a light blue.

Rin's eyes turned black and she said no more. Toni screamed at her, tried to get her to say something but she only stood up. She reached out a long slender finger and pointed to Mai. The whole group began to be lifted off of the floor and suddenly Mai began to squirm. Her eyes only let the others know that she was in agonizing pain.

"RIN, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" Mai screamed as Takeshi tried to fight off the invisible hand lifting him up.

"I can't…" Rin said softly as tears fell from her eyes. "Please help me… Sesshoumaru…"

"_Do you understand what I want from you mother?" Sesshoumaru asked the chained woman as the pair stood in the center of the tomb._

"_What makes you believe this plan of yours will work Sesshoumaru?" Semishia asked as her heavy hand brushed against her child's cheek._

"_Because Naraku is an idiot and Rin is more powerful than even she can understand." Sesshoumaru said softly._

"_But shouldn't your father know about this because…" Semishia started._

"_No… the only two that need to know about this is you and I. And when Rin comes you will tell her. That is all. If too many people know of a plan then many lives will have to be sacrificed."_

"_You are more like your grandfather than your father or I." Semishia said. "Which is probably why your grandfather lived so long... but your will be done my son. And may you and your mate break the curse so that you all may be free." Sesshoumaru nodded at her and began to fade away. "Wait, Sesshoumaru… No one else knew that my spirit was on the grounds. Let alone trapped in the tomb how did…"_

"_I have read your notes, looking into the forbidden arts, trying to find a loophole. It took me a while to come across the binding curse you used on your soul but I did. I remembered every detail of your body when we found it. Later I put the pieces together." Sesshoumaru said as he turned his back to his mother. _

"_Oh…"_

"_Sometimes… I felt that if I had gotten a visit from your soul then maybe some of these things would have turned out a little better." And with that and a soft gasp from Semishia he disappeared._

Miroku's fingers moved quickly in movements that he didn't really understand. His face was in a determined position and he didn't even blink as he a foreign language flew from his tongue.

"What the hell is he saying?" Sango asked Semishia.

"He is attempting to break through the barrier with a spell that originated in the mountains…" Semishia said softly. And then she smirked as a loud bang resounded in the tomb.

"And what the hell was that!" Sango exclaimed.

"That is the sound of the barrier breaking… And that…" Semishia said as Kagome's body began to glow. Her side visibly pulsated before slowly disintegrating into dust leaving a small round orb in its place. "Is the Shikon no Tama…"


	24. Chapter 24

_Last Time..._

"RIN, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" Mai screamed as Takeshi tried to fight off the invisible hand lifting him up.

"I can't…" Rin said softly as tears fell from her eyes. "Please help me… Sesshoumaru…"

* * *

Rin's breath caught in her throat as Naraku's icy fingers gripped at her arm. Her hold on Mai and the others was instantly broken and the group fell to the floor, though it was still obvious that Mai was in immense pain.

Naraku's body was only a shadow as Rin's toes were lifted off of the ground and he angrily strangled her. "Don't you ever dare to speak that name in my presence again wench. It is sinful! It is blasphemous!" He raged. He lifted her up even higher to his eye level and stared at her with his piercing red eyes. "And it's…"

"Everything you're not…" A voice finished from behind them.

Naraku flinched for a second and then dropped Rin to the ground. He began to laugh manically as he spun around to come face to face with Sesshoumaru. "So glad you can make it to watch as _my_ Rin takes me to the Shikon no Tama…" Naraku said as a small curve began to become apparent at the end of his mouth.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at Naraku and watched, face emotionless, as Rin gasped for air on the floor behind Naraku. "Without her remains you would have nothing…"

"But yet I have them and I have everything I need…" Naraku said as a smug look took over his features.

Rin stared at Sesshoumaru fear becoming quickly evident in her eyes. She knew him and everything he had ever done. Was he just going to allow Naraku to toy with her? It was a different time but the feelings were there, the memories had returned. Why wasn't he doing anything?

Naraku let loose a deep chuckle and with a cold bark commanded Rin to stand. Her body followed his orders even though she was overtaken by a wave of exhaustion. "See Sesshoumaru… I'm in control. It is how things should have always been." Naraku said softly.

Sesshoumaru barely acknowledged his words and began to fade out, his eyes the last things to disappear. A blood red rose with white tips was the only thing left in his wake. Naraku sort of shrugged and then looked around for Rin's companions. But they too had disappeared into the void that Sesshoumaru had entered. "That bastard is always ruining my fun…" Naraku muttered under his breath. "But no matter, Rin, find me the Shikon no Tama."

And as her body began to pulse and she made her way into a future unknown, the corner of her mouth turned up. For she knew he was coming back for her, that was what the red rose had meant. And she silently prayed that whatever Sesshoumaru had planned would turn out for the better.

_There was a rebellion raging in the corners of the Western Lands. The casualties were monstrous. And there seemed to be no end in sight. She had been visiting him really. Rode up from the south just to be with him for a while and now he was headed off to stop some damned battle._

_Rin sighed as her sun burnt hair rippled down her back. Her fingers softly caressed the petals of a flower in the garden. She wasn't really angry at him, she was angry at her self for letting him get to her. So as a punishment to herself she had been avoiding him. And so far it had been working quite well but things such as this never really last that long._

"_Rin…"_

_She tensed up for a second, so lost in her own world; she didn't even sense him coming. But she almost instantly relaxed as her brain put the voice to a face. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" She responded letting his name roll off of her tongue. She saw out of the corner of her eye how his eyes flickered. He really did love when she did that._

"_You've been avoiding me?"_

"_Not entirely true my liege…" Rin said with a small shrug._

_His eyebrow arched as it did so often when it came to matters about her. "I do not understand what you meant by this…"_

"_I mean nothing by it, that is to say that it is just a random statement, is it not? Maybe you are reading my words to deeply…" Rin suggested as she turned her attention to him. He sat down by her and looked into her eyes._

"_Maybe I'm not reading them deep enough…" He responded before tilting her head upwards with his index finger and stealing a kiss. When they pulled apart Sesshoumaru dropped something in her lap and stood up. His lips brushed against her cheek and he whispered softly in her ear. "I promise to come back…" And with that he was gone. Rin was a little stunned by the boldness of his actions but, she let it slide as she looked into her lap. Sitting there was a blood red rose with white tips. He had promised to return and he did, less than two weeks after he had left, the rose had sealed the promise._

Rin's footsteps echoed in the tomb, the marble of the floor chilling her even though she had on shoes. Naraku followed behind her, his red eyes piercing holes into her back.

The tomb glowed as she heard some muttering ahead. Her body began to glow brighter than ever, as she was pulled deeper into the tomb. "Is the Shikon no Tama…" A voice from in front of her said clearly.

"No…" Rin whispered.

"Yes!" Naraku howled.

"Rin!" Sango exclaimed.

"Shit…" Miroku muttered.

"It has begun…" Semishia said as she disappeared in a bright flash of blue light.


	25. Chapter 25

_Last Time..._

"No…" Rin whispered.

"Yes!" Naraku howled.

"Rin!" Sango exclaimed.

"Shit…" Miroku muttered.

"It has begun…" Semishia said as she disappeared in a bright flash of blue light.

* * *

"Miroku!" Sango screamed as her boyfriend fell to the floor, a gaping hole in his side. As soon as Naraku had appeared on the scene he took out Miroku, who had been in possession of the jewel. She ran to him quickly her eyes watering, sobs shaking her entire body.

"I… I'm fine… Sango…" He wheezed out before his failing voice was blocked out by Naraku's ominous laugher. Miroku winced as his vision blurred and he fainted in Sango's arms.

Sango wailed and screamed. She looked up to Rin for help but got none as the girl was forced to stay away. Sango was so devastated that she didn't even recognize the changes in Rin. All she knew was that Miroku was dying and Rin was just looking on at the scene.

The jewel floated into Naraku's hands and he held it up toward the sky. "So many years I have searched and now… Thanks to you darling…" He said turning to Rin who had collapsed on the floor from sheer exhaustion. "I will have everything I have ever desired and more; starting with the complete annihilation of the bastard mutt's soul, Sesshoumaru!"

"Please don't Naraku…" Rin cried as she stared at Miroku's unconscious body. "Leave Sesshoumaru alone!" Naraku just laughed and turned all of his attention back to the jewel. He was so absorbed in its power he did not even notice the pale figure manifesting behind Rin.

"_The Shikon no Tama is a very unique…" Kaede said softly as she handed the orb to her niece. She ran her fingers through her thick black hair quickly and cracked her knuckles. "Ye need to understand Kagome…"_

"_I know Kae-chan, you can wish for anything in the world…"the seven-year-old Kagome said_

"_It's not just that Kagome… Ye need to understand everything about the jewel. I am only nineteen but when ye come of age, ye have been chosen to take over the responsibility of protecting the jewel. I was just a stand in for ye Kagome. I have not the great powers that ye posses. And I cannot protect this gem as well as ye will be able to." Kaede said softly to the little girl._

"_But I don't get it. Why can't Kikyo watch it, she's older…" Kagome whined._

"_Midoriko made it clear, to the second heir the jewel does go. An ominous cloud hangs over the first born of the Higurashi clan. Ye are the keeper of the jewel." Kaede said with some finality._

"_Fine then Kae-chan… But what don't I know about the jewel. It seems really simple, take the jewel and make a wish…"_

"_Awww… But today we shall learn who may make a wish on the jewel…"_

"_A lesson today Kae-chan?" _

"_Aye, Kagome… The jewel may only be used by the living. The user only receives one wish but the wish will determine the balance of the universe for five-hundred years."_

"_And how will a 'dead' person use the jewel. Kae-chan, they are, well, dead…"_

"_Awww… Kagome, so many things I must teach you before I retire and announce you as the Shinto Priestess…"_

Rin opened her mouth to scream but the breath that came out was no more than a small gasp. Cool slender fingers fell on her shoulders as she turned to come face to face with the first great lady of the western lands, Semishia. The great woman moved her fingers to her lips and smiled widely at Rin.

Then the pair vanished into a dimension of the tomb that Semishia used to rest most of the time. "I don't suppose you know who I am; do you Rin-chan?" She asked softly as Rin looked around the tomb that was now bathed in a blue light and completely still.

"I… Where…" Rin stuttered out surprised at her new and yet familiar surroundings.

"Oh… this is an alternate dimension created by yours truly as she waits out her long eternal punishment. It's like slowing down time but you can't see where you stopped it at. But I know, I think… any way, do you know who I am?" She asked again.

Rin scratched through her seemingly new memories and eventually dug out a description of the woman standing in front of her. It had been given to her long ago by the Inu no Taisho when she had asked about Sesshoumaru's mother. "You're Sesshoumaru's mother…" Rin said softly as she bowed. "Lady Semishia."

"Ah ha, so your memories have returned. All is well then. So many things I wish to speak to you about but we haven't the all the time in the world. Only a few more minutes before Naraku comes to realize you are gone."

"Then what is so important?" Rin asked hastily.

"That is what I'm about to get to if you would just calm down. We still have a little bit of time. Anyway I am going to let you in on the secret to defeating Naraku, the one that Sesshoumaru planned out all by him self and only told me."

"There is a way to defeat Naraku?" Rin said surprised.

"Yes, and I am now going to share it with you…"

"_I'm going to tell you a secret Rin. And I don't want your 'I told you so' to ring into my ears, alright?" Kagome said as the pair sat quietly in the garden._

"_But Kagome how is it a secret if I know about it?" Rin asked quizzically as she put down the book she had been reading._

"_Because only you know about it…"_

"_Then it's not a secret Kagome. The only way to keep a secret between three people is if two of them are dead…" Rin said as she looked at her cousin seriously._

"_Alright then, I'll kill you after I say this, you know about the Shikon no Tama right?"_

"_Kagome, where are you getting at? I'm a Higurashi, of course I know of the Shikon no Tama. It falls into your possession next week at your correlation as a Shinto Priestess." Rin said boredom leaking into her voice. _

"_Wait Rin this has to do with you…" Kagome said before her cousin could become once more absorbed into the witty humor inside her book. "I need you to understand this. Kae-chan told me that there is nothing to worry about but just in case…"_

"_Kagome, what's the problem?"_

"_The jewel… to be used it has to have someone to act as a bridge. The bridge will allow the wishing party to cross from this world into a kind of Limbo where Midoriko is fighting the eternal battle. Becoming the bridge is dangerous because there is a chance that you may become stuck in between both worlds for the rest of eternity. And the state of the jewel affects your soul." Kagome said softly._

"_And you're telling me this because…" Rin started._

"_Rin, I'm the bridge for the jewel. But if anything should happen to me, you are next in line, not Kikyo like everyone around her thinks. And if someone ever gets hold of the jewel and I get stuck in Limbo… you would be my equivalent in this world and it would affect you." Kagome said shakily._

"_Another lovely Higurashi curse, hum? Never a blessing with this family, is it?" Rin said as she shook her head and stood to take her leave._

"_Wait Rin, I wasn't supposed to tell you but, if something did happen, I didn't want you to be in the dark…" Kagome muttered. "The elders, they figured this way if an evil got to the jewel and something happened to me, they would go after Kikyo, before they realized that you were next in line."_

"_Thanks Kagome, grandma told me 'There are only a few people in your immediate family you can ever trust.' And I'm glad one of them is you…"Rin said before wistfully making her way into her home._


	26. Chapter 26

_Last Time..._

"There is a way to defeat Naraku?" Rin said surprised.

"Yes, and I am now going to share it with you…"

* * *

Rin stared at Naraku as Lady Semishia's words echoed through her head. He would need a body, preferably someone who had become mentally weak during this ordeal. It would not be her, he needed her to act as the bridge and he could not sabotage that plan. It had to be someone who had lost something.

"Everything that should have always been mine is in my grasp!" Naraku bellowed and then laughed. "I'll have the ultimate power and my reign will bring forth a new age!"

"Have you finished acting like an ass?" Sesshoumaru asked as he appeared behind Rin all of her friends in tow. Mai was being carried by Takeshi and Toni was leaning on Sakura for support. They backed away uneasily from Sesshoumaru though he had saved their lives earlier.

Naraku's red eyes narrowed at the appearance of Sesshoumaru. He rolled the Shikon no Tama around in his hands before examining the room. He ignored Sesshoumaru's presence before his eyes landed on Sango. The corners of his mouth turned upwards as Sango continued to cry over Miroku's body. His blood was spilling on the floor and his body was becoming cool and pale. "You will do."

At those three words Rin heart began to pound. Her breathing became ragged and her knees locked. Sesshoumaru twitched as he caught her eyes. Fear and pain radiated out of her brown orbs. She didn't know if she could do it.

Rin's eyes traveled from Sesshoumaru to Sango and then back again. He parted his lips slightly but she knew exactly what he was telling her, "You must…"

Rin bit her lip as her sister's body suddenly jerked from the floor. Sango seemed surprised at first and then fear bled into her being. "What's happening?" Sango asked as her body floated over to Naraku.

"I need more than just your mind my lady… I need your body…" In a flash of red light Naraku disappeared and Sango screamed in anguish. "Die and give me your body wench!" Naraku's voice roared. His aura spiraled around them and then finally calmed. And from the once spiraling miasma came the slender form of Sango.

"Sango…" Rin said softly her eyes watering, her body weak.

"Guess again…" Came the eerily soft voice. It was Sango's body but it did not possess her soul.

"Naraku what have you done to her?" Rin cried out.

"A lot less than what I am going to do to you." Naraku replied sweetly. His now slender hands rolled the Shikon no Tama from one hand to the other. He smirked at Rin and blew her a kiss. "Come to me, final descendant of the Higurashi clan. Come forth and be the bridge to the other realm."

Rin's body began to glow as Sango's voice echoed through the tomb. "What's happening?" Sakura screamed as she watched Rin's body lift from the ground.

"The sacrifice of your kin Lady Midoriko! Take her and bring me to you so that I may have my dreams laid before my feet. Give your power to me SHIKON NO TAMA!" Sango's voice bellowed. There was a shattering sound as the jewel broke into various fragments. The pieces swirled together in a spiral as a pink light engulfed the room.

When the light faded away Rin found herself standing in her true form next to Naraku in the middle of what she could only describe as a white void. Her hair was even longer and her eyes now shown a crystallized blue.

Naraku stood before her in complete battle armor, his red eyes staring into the nothingness. "Where have you brought me wench?" He said slowly as his eyes came upon Rin's form.

"I suppose we are inside the jewel you asshole." Rin ground out before Naraku grabbed her arm angrily.

"You are the bridge! You are the portal! Where is Midoriko? I haven't the time for this!" Naraku screamed at Rin angrily. "If she is not here then you shall grant at least one of my wishes!" Naraku pulled Rin towards his chest forcefully all intent upon raping her on the spot.

The world shook at that instant and Rin fell to the ground. "You come for a wish but almost destroy the bridge. Your eternity with me shall be a long one at best if you harm the girl and this world collapse." A soft voice said.

"Midoriko-sama…" Rin said from her position on the ground. She bowed upon the floor before looking up at her ancestor.

"Rin, I felt you when you were first born both times. I knew it was you who would eventually serve as the bridge. Though I have felt your cousin Kagome's power many times for I was in her care, I knew you would be the bridge. But how is it that you have brought such a corrupt being to me child?" Midoriko asked Rin completely ignoring Naraku.

"My corruption is none of your concern. You are to grant me my wishes and fulfill my deepest desires.'

"Why is it that you desire?" Midoriko questioned suddenly. "Travel the paths of your heart and rethink your desires. Wanting this girl was your original downfall was it not?" Midoriko questioned.

"That is none of your concern, wench. Now grant me my ultimate powers!"

"Very well then… I see it is your ultimate desire to gain complete control over the jewel." Midoriko responded softly. "And then it is your desire to have Rin as your own… And then for you to become a full demon… And to bring back to life those who have opposed you so you may destroy them truly once and for all…"

"Yes… Now grant me my wishes bitch."

"Very well then… It shall be done. But heed my words. As long as my soul is black your life will be filled with misery Naraku."

"I don't care." Naraku said selfishly venom dripping from every syllable.

"So be it. I am sorry Rin…" And with that Rin and Naraku were sucked into a pitch black void as the world of the jewel began to cave in.

* * *

Yeah so... It's been what? Five years plus huh? To be honest out of all my fics, this one left me feeling the most guilty because, well, it's like a few pages from being done. And could have been completed long ago because I write it like a drabble... Anyway... I'm back, I'm old, I'm depressed and I would like to jump back into the fantasy world I was so accustomed to when I was a teenager so that I may in time come to terms with the fact that I will probably work the rest of my life, never find love, or happiness and that if I don't constantly work out I will forever be a blob... Oh reality, my hopes, dreams, and desires... You ate them all didn't you?

Right now I am working on Ouija Board and Forbidden Lust... There will be updates. Any questions or comments PM me. I will also be updating most of the chapters to fix grammatical errors and such that I have picked out. See you soon!


	27. Chapter 27

_Last Time..._

"Yes… Now grant me my wishes bitch."

"Very well then… It shall be done. But heed my words. As long as my soul is black your life will be filled with misery Naraku."

"I don't care." Naraku said selfishly venom dripping from every syllable.

"So be it. I am sorry Rin…" And with that Rin and Naraku were sucked into a pitch black void as the world of the jewel began to cave in.

* * *

She was floating once again, or was she falling? Her body ached, and her senses burned. She had no idea what was happening. "Rin…" Who was calling to her? Who was encircling her waist with strong arms? "Rin, wake up…"

The young woman's eyes flew open to take in a horrifying scene. Piles of dead bodies littered a large courtyard, all pulsing to their own rhythm. Death and decay filled the air as ghosts began to appear, all being pulled into their old shells. And their bodies were slowly beginning to revive. Rotted skin began to fall to the ground as new skin came in its place. The grotesque sound of bones snapping back together and being set in new flesh could be heard.

Cries of pain and agony rose up like a tidal wave. Many who had not felt anything since their deaths experienced the most excruciating pain, reliving their tragic deaths backwards as their bodies twisted back to their former appearances. And nothing could be done for them.

Rin's eyes fell on Lady Izayoi's form a few feet away. The majestic woman was writhing on the ground in pain as the broken bones from her legendary fall snapped back together one at a time. Next to her lay Kagome, whose body began to shake as fresh blood began to ooze from her final wound. She screamed as her tonsils healed themselves and her wound slowly began to force itself closed, the mending of her skin producing a smell akin to that of burning meat.

The now trembling girl turned her eyes to her left and saw her friends. Mai was screaming hysterically as the piles of the now undead began to move. Sakura was unconscious but pressed protectively against Toni's chest. Takeshi stood in front of them defensively, horror etched into his features.

And there in the middle of this chaos stood Sango. Her body aglow in a red light, her eyes a matching crimson. Rin's knees became weak and she would have sunk to the ground if she were not being held up in a warm embrace. The whole courtyard became bathed in a blue light, and time seemed to halt.

"Rin… There isn't time…" A deep voice ground out. He turned the frightened woman in his arms to face him as his very spirit began to pulse. His gaze softened as he looked upon her. He could truly feel her now, something that he had not had the pleasure of doing in almost a hundred years.

"Sesshoumaru…" She whispered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"You must hear me, Rin… The jewel is bringing back to life all the souls trapped under this curse. My remains and Naraku's evaporated in my own poison during our last battle… So it is taking a bit longer for us to regain our physical shells. I will not be able to hold this space open for much longer for such a thing is a power of the dead."

"You will live again, but I have failed you… He will become more powerful than ever. He will take me and destroy all that's left," She said softly. Her eyes still that stunning blue that announced the awakening of her miko powers. "By becoming the bridge I have failed everyone…"

His lips pressed against hers, a subtle warmth rolling off of them, announcing his own rebirth. She would later swear that at this moment she felt his heartbeat attempt to start up again. He brought his hand up to trace the outline of her face. "You have failed no one, but there is something only you can do. You must kill Naraku."

_He was ever so curious about her. But if he were honest with himself, he had always been. The intoxicating young woman clad in a green and black silken kimono had not moved in the past hour save to flip a page or jot something down._

_The library was quiet because the household was preparing for the ceremony that would announce the woman before him as Naraku's new intended. Being as such tragedy had befallen the first one; she seemed to have inherited what would have been her cousin's ill fate. The idea did not sit with him well. But he was sure he would have been able to ignore it had he not been forced by his father to travel to the South to bring well wishes. His father, still mourning the loss of his second son and his intended, could not find it within himself to leave his home._

_Letting out a light breath, the young demon lord walked towards the young woman with whom he was overly familiar and took a seat next to her. "It has been a while, Rin…" He said softly as the girl looked up from her reading and grinned at him, her cheeks automatically flushing a light pink._

_"Sesshoumaru…" She said softly. "I didn't think you would come… Or that anyone from the West for that matter…"She shifted uncomfortably for a moment before he spoke._

_"I am indeed sorry for your loss…"_

_"Thank you and likewise… No one could have guessed Kikyo would do such a thing…"She sat quietly for a moment, silently reveling in the closeness of a man who constantly haunted her dreams. "Actually… I am glad you stumbled upon me… I have a favor to ask."_

_Sesshoumaru, in all fairness, had not 'stumbled' upon her. He knew her favorite places and her scent - she was the only real company he kept while visiting the South. And it had taken him no more that 15 minutes after arriving to settle and then locate her. But of course, this information was not necessary. "Hn."_

_"There's a myth about immortality in here that I am interested in…" She said with a swift gesture to the book sitting idly in her lap. "But I am having a hard time translating a few parts, and since it is written in the demonic script…"_

_Sesshoumaru swiftly took the book from her hands, not bothering to hear the rest of sentence. A bundle of notes fell out, and he had to say he was quite impressed that she had gotten as far as she did without consulting a demon. Such a curious young beauty._

_His eyes skimmed over the pages, and he started translating. "In the beginning, there was Man. And Man was mortal. Man held within himself the power of True Belief, for if he wished it hard enough it could be true. So Man with his power created the World and Time. Man who then feared the hindrance of time, this thing he created, decided to become the master of it and became immortal."_

_Rin nodded her head, leaning closer to Sesshoumaru and the book. Her body lightly pressed against his as she stared at the words. Her light breath tickling his arm. Sesshoumaru was highly aware of her proximity but chose to ignore it for the time being and continued._

_"Eventually Man created others like himself to share with him this thing called World' And many different things came into being, and Man became their master. But alas, he was never satisfied and created more and more. That was until he mistakenly created evil. Man, so ashamed of himself and his power, created one to take the blame for evil; this was the first God._

_"But this God knew Man's plight and guilt and eventually manipulated him out of his immortality to steal it for himself. Then, he took Man's power of True Belief and locked it away in a pit at the edge of the world. Finally, the God shaped the world as he saw fit. Refusing to bestow immortality upon Man again, for fear that Man would find within himself True Belief and believe in him no more…"_

_Sesshoumaru closed the book and turned his face towards Rin, which in turn, alerted her as to how close she had gotten to him. She leaned back a bit, completely aware of the little sparks passing between them. Licking her lips lightly before speaking, she asked. "So could it be supposed that all things are in their simplest state mortal? Even gods?"_

_"Lady Rin…" He purred softly moving a bit closer to her to make up for the closeness she had denied him. His warm breath washed against her flushed cheeks. His inner beast lazily influenced his actions. "It would seem from this that in the beginning, we are all mortal… Perhaps after birth that is when we are assigned the status in which we are chosen to view time…"_

_His fingers brushed against her lips of their own accord. He was indeed very curious. She was indeed very entranced. Needless to say, some days later, after this seemingly innocent affair between the two had been given even more time to fester, and Sesshoumaru's hands had been given more time to wander of their own accord… Rin shot down the proposal given to her by Naraku._

* * *

So close to the end, I can almost taste it... Actually I can see most of it... In blocks on my desktop... Anyway... More to come soon! Remember RR!

SN: That little myth was an idea that I have been playing with for a while that was gonna be apart of a thesis that was thrown to the wind... I like it... Hope you did too.


	28. Chapter 28

_Last Time..._

His lips pressed against hers a subtle warmth rolling off of them, announcing his own rebirth. She would later swear that at this moment she felt his heart beat attempt to start up again. He brought his hand up to trace the outline of her face. "You have failed no one, but there is something only you can do. You must kill Naraku."

* * *

"Come, bitch…" The command echoed loudly over the courtyard. It drowned out the cries of agony that had seemingly protruded into every corner. An eerie grin was on Sango's face as the remains of a male body floated next to her, slowly being put back together.

Rin's body began to move toward her sister of its own accord. With quite a bit of resistance, Rin's head snapped back to Sesshoumaru. His spirit had begun to pulse and slowly fade. The sickening smell of his own poison began to seep out from where he now kneeled. And the normally stoic face twisted as his bones began to return from dust. The dust gathered together before molding into fractures. These new bits of bone grated and scratched against each other, seemingly bonding together with a searing heat.

A dark laugh rung through the air as Rin's body was forced even further away from Sesshoumaru. "You wish to have a final glance at him, Lady?" Came Naraku's mocking voice. Suddenly Sango was in front of her. Red eyes attempted to see through her and into her very soul. A smooth hand grabbed her arm forcefully. "Look at him in all his treacherous glory. Kneeling instead of falling to the ground like his kin. He will die. If the pain of being regenerated from nothing doesn't kill him, I will certainly do it myself."

"You bastard, you've won. Leave him alone," Rin ground out. Her entire essence felt as though it was on fire. She was one with Sesshoumaru - her body knew he was in pain.

"It would indeed seem that way..." Naraku said with a sinister chuckle. "My body is being restored. My enemies are writhing in pain at my feet. I even have a consolation prize…" Sango's lips turned up in a dark smirk. "I wonder how it would feel to kiss you in this body."

"You will never have me! I belong to Sesshoumaru!" Rin screamed.

Rin swore for a moment she could actually see Naraku inside of her sister. The young woman roared before she picked Rin off the ground, violently tossing her a few yards away. Rin landed a foot from Miroku, who was slowly coming to.

Miroku's wound had begun to clot and Rin didn't know if it was because of the Shikon no Tama's magic or his own, but she was thankful. Now bloody and scratched, she crawled over to him and whispered in his ear. She was fearful that he would not be able to complete the task which was required to save them all. But time was running out.

The monk's eyes flew open when she pulled away, and he forced himself to sit up. "Rin… I can't…" He muttered his back to the girl as he pushed himself off of the ground, all intent on ignoring the horrific scene before him.

Rin's fingers grasped at his jeans as she pulled herself up into a standing position and captured his eyes. Crystal blue bore into violet, screaming at him that there was no other way. "Then we'll all die."

Conflicting emotions fluttered across his face. He turned around to see Sango slowly making her way towards them, the glowing body of Naraku floating behind her atop a red mist, almost completely restored. Miroku hastily pushed Rin behind him. "Then there's no other way?" He asked softly as he took a defensive stance, swaying a bit, a reminder that he had lost a decent amount of blood.

"No…" Rin responded softly as she turned her back to him. She could not and would not watch this.

"Then so be it." Miroku's hands began to sign quickly and his body began to emit a soft blue light.

"Aww… The monk lives and plans to protect his sister-in-law from his lover's body. Won't this be a treat?" Naraku cackled causing Sango's body to shake violently. Sango moved within a few feet of the pair. "Do your worst, monk."

Miroku's signing stopped, and he pushed his hand outwards and then tilted it to the side. A staff formed within his grasp as he muttered something under his breath. He tilted his head toward the ground, his bangs overshadowing his eyes.

"What was that monk? Speak louder before meeting your maker!" Naraku bellowed.

"I'm sorry…" Miroku rushed at Sango, flipping the staff and pushing its end forcefully through her stomach and out the other side.

"Miroku…" Sango whispered as she fell into his chest, her eyes once again becoming a chocolate brown. "I love you…" The young man fell to his knees, his own wound reopening from the motion. He clutched his lover's now limp body to his chest as tears flowed down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, but it was the only way…" He kept repeating, holding her close and kissing her forehead.

Naraku's ghost now stood next to his own body. A bit of shock flashed across his features. This was not something he had foreseen. But it mattered not. "You would kill her to force me out, moments before I am able to return to my own body?" He started still a bit stunned.

"This was your plan, monk? This is how you protect?" Naraku asked and then laughed. The idiotic boy had just made his list of people to kill a bit shorter and had done him no harm. "Pathetic." He looked away from the mourning man before his eyes fell upon Rin again. He smiled eerily before reaching out a hand. "Rin, come to me."

This time, without a fight, Rin went to him. She passed her sister's corpse and the now broken man who clung to it without a word or a glance. The sounds of agony were dying away, though the smell of rotten flesh lingered on the wet ground. The bodies and souls of those once dead had once again fused together.

And still she walked to him. As she came closer, a dark shadow began to take form over his head. She felt the power of the Shikon no Tama. The now dark jewel produced a black light that slowly began to engulf Naraku's spirit.

He grabbed her now outstretched hand and pulled her towards him. His soul was warm and began to pulse, mimicking his future heartbeat. "Be with me, Rin, as I take my first breath, as I am reborn. And then stand by me as I destroy everything that is dear to you." He smiled staring into her stunning blue eyes. He grabbed her lips, forcing his tongue in the small cavern that was her mouth. But he quickly bored with her unresponsive nature and pushed her towards his new body.

The blackened jewel floating above him cracked as he stood in front of his fully restored body. But he paid it no mind so close was he to complete domination of all things beneath him. A sadistic grin took a hold of his face as his spirit jumped into his body. A surge of power shook the estate, a bright red light blinding all in the immediate area. When it cleared, Naraku stood now flesh and blood. He looked down at Rin, who stood in front of him, and smirked. His lips parted so that he could take a deep breath, his first breath.

Rin, gathering up all her strength, stabbed him in the heart with the golden chopsticks that once adorned her hair. Blue flames coated the small weapon before subsiding as her hands instantly became covered in his blood. Sheer brute force and her miko powers had successfully damaged his heart beyond repair.

"Wh-" He gasped, confused as to why he was in so much pain. Naraku fell to his knees. Such a small wound would mean nothing, not even in his hanyou form. But how? He had wished to be a full-blooded demon, so why? He clenched at his chest, ripping the protruding objects out and tossing them to the ground. "I am youkai…" He breathed out as his life began to slip away. "I am reborn…"

Rin kneeled before him and placed her lips to his ear. He grabbed onto her now torn night gown weakly. She did not shudder at his touch nor push him away. He who had tried to take away everything she loved would gain no sympathy from her. Instead she whispered, "No, all things are mortal before birth, before the first breath."

Naraku's eyes grew wide in surprise before he fell over dead. Rin stood from her position and turned back towards the courtyard, completely ignoring the corpse by her feet. It was over, but at what cost?

Her heart ached before she realized she could feel him. Her eyes found Sesshoumaru overlooking all others there. He was slowly beginning to stand up, completely restored. Tears slowly ran down her cheeks. "Sessh… Sesshoumaru!" She took a step forward before the Shikon no Tama shattered behind her and enveloped her in a white light. And in an instant she was gone.

"Rin? Rin!"

* * *

And so ends Ouija Board. A story that only references a Ouija Board once in one of it's earliest chapters.

This is totally the last chapter... I'm serious... Yeah I am... Fine, I'm lying. There is one perhaps two more chapters left in this story. Probably gonna go work on them.

Shout out to BlueAngel326 who has beta-ed for me (More than she would probably admit) because I like to rape commas and murder hyphens... But that's kinda her job because we've been married for what? 11 years now? Never did I think I would have such a great friend to share my life with.** Especially** not when I met her in sixth grade (She was hella weird). And now look at her, graduating for an Ivy league College... I'm so freaking proud. And I brag about her all the time...

But... let me stop on the off chance that she reads this. Anyway R&R and I'll see you guys most likely tomorrow. :-)


	29. Chapter 29

_Last Time..._

Her heart ached before she realized she could feel him. Her eyes found Sesshoumaru overlooking all others there. He was slowly beginning to stand up, completely restored. Tears slowly ran down her cheeks. "Sessh… Sesshoumaru!" She took a step forward before the Shikon no Tama shattered behind her and enveloped her in a white light. And in an instant she was gone.

"Rin? Rin!"

* * *

She had to admit that in the last few hours she had grown tired of this floating feeling and bright flashes of light. Rin forced her eyes open and realized that she was once again inside the world of the Shikon no Tama. The blinding white void now contained a few dark cracks which caused Rin to become a bit anxious.

"I apologize for bringing you here like this, but you were the final bridge and I had no choice…" The soft voice of Midoriko called out. She appeared suddenly next to Rin.

"What's happening?" Rin asked. The entire void shook as the cracks became more defined.

"The Shikon no Tama's purpose is to fulfill desires, the deepest desires of one's heart. The last contractor was evil and he has corrupted the jewel. And yet… his desires cannot be fulfilled. For you have found the loophole in all things and have killed him…" She turned her tired eyes towards Rin as a thin frown became apparent on her face.

Rin stared at her ancestor, disbelief slowly radiating out of her eyes. "So what's happening to the jewel is my fault?"

"It is a rebound effect. The jewel could feel Naraku's end drawing near. And with his passing, the entire contract has become null. This means that those brought back through such gruesome and painful means will die once again…"

"This can't be happening…"

Midoriko continued seemingly unfazed by Rin's words. "As we speak, with the last bit of life within her, Kagome is attempting to purify and fuse the Shikon no Tama back together. All before the core, where we are currently, is completely damaged. But she doesn't have much time because once again she is dying from her final wound."

Midoriko waved her hand precariously and a small pond appeared before them. In it a reflection could be seen of a crouched Kagome holding the cracked jewel in her hands. Shards were flying around her and every so often one would come back and rejoin the jewel. But at the same time, she was trying to push a pink light into it to banish the darkness. Blood had already started to drip slowly down her neck. "She attempts to purify the Shikon no Tama, to banish the unstable magics that are now clashing within. But it will all be got naught."

Rin grabbed Midoriko's sleeve. Desperation etched into her features, tears running down her face. "You can't let this happen to them again. There was so much pain to reverse their deaths, why should they have to relive it again? How do I stop this? I'll do anything to stop this!" The young woman cried.

"Calm yourself child…" Midoriko said softly. "That is why I brought you here…"

Once again the young woman was confused. "What?"

"Since the contract was not fulfilled it falls to you to make your own wishes…" Midoriko said softly bringing a comforting hand to caress Rin's cheek wiping away her tears. "Show me what's in your heart child, and I will give it to you. You who have had so much ripped away are at least deserving of that." Midoriko gently kissed Rin's cheek before everything went black.

"_Rin, are you even listening?" Kagome asked, snapping her fingers in front of her young cousin. She let out a dry cough. She knew she really should be allowing the girl time to pack, but this was important._

"_Of course, you were once again telling me more about the Shikon no Tama…" Rin was annoyed to say the least. She had been called back to the South for some stupid ceremony. Kagome and Kikyo however had gotten out of it and were continuing their stay in the West. But she honestly didn't see how Kagome's wedding preparations got Kikyo a free ride as well._

_Kagome coughed again. "It's just that, well, you should be prepared. In case something…" Her voice broke and she had a small coughing fit. _

_Rin sighed and put her hand on the other girl's forehead. "You need to go lay down instead of telling me about Shikon no Tama lore…"_

"_I know. My throat has been sore… But Rin…"_

"_I heard you Kagome…" Rin said ushering her older cousin towards her own room and then pushing her down onto a bed. "The Shikon no Tama grants true desires. And it is possible for desires to be so prominent that it would seem as though the jewel was granting multiple things. But in the end they must all tie together."_

"_Very good Rin." Kagome smiled as she snuggled into her covers. "These things are important…"She coughed again and was certain she wouldn't be able to talk the following day._

"_Silly Kagome, you aren't going anywhere. And you are starting to sound like Kaede. Go to sleep. I'll have Inuyasha bring you something for that cough and fever. And I'll be back in time to help decorate for the wedding." Rin said sweetly._

"_Safe travels home Rin. I shall see you on your return."She whispered, closing her eyes._

_Rin smiled and exited the room. She had no idea that would be the last time she saw her cousin alive._

"Sesshoumaru, can you stand?" Kagome called over the din of the courtyard. The sounds of agony had come again. They were once again dying. She wasn't sure what was happening but she was sure it had something to do with the corrupt and shattered Shikon no Tama in her hand.

Within a second Sesshoumaru was at her side. "Is Rin inside?" He asked as sweat began to form on his forehead. His poison was once again destroying him, but this time it was from the inside out.

"Yes… But I need your help…" Kagome said as tears began to form at the edge of her eyes. The pain was edging into her consciousness, but she could not afford to become a slave to it. "Quickly, before I can no longer speak. I need you to burn my wound closed so that it takes longer for me to lose blood. We need time."

Sesshoumaru nodded and immediately brought his finger to Kagome's neck. He passed his claw across the reopening wound, his poison actively burning her skin and acting as a blood clot. And then he stood back, no longer sure of what else he could offer.

This new crisis was not one he had foreseen. He had properly guessed Naraku's intentions and exactly what he would wish for, but this was no longer a part of his carefully formulated plan. "Damn it Rin, where are you?" He asked the wind. If he was to die he at least wanted her to be at his side this time.

Kagome coughed up a bit of blood, she knew Sesshoumaru's fix was only temporary. The internal damage was still there. The dying young woman shook furiously but refused to succumb to the pain. But her body felt so heavy. And she was so tired. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist to help support her.

"I'll be by your side this time…" Inuyasha whispered as warm blood spilled from his chest and ran down her back. "I love you Kagome to the end."

"Hold… me… tighter…" She whispered as her wound began to reopen.

Kagome's face became determined and she pushed even more of her energy into the Shikon no Tama. More and more energy until finally, the jewel shattered once and for all. It disintegrated and then released a pink light which covered the courtyard. And when the light receded everything was still.

* * *

Yeah... A bit rushed being as I typed it at work... And I'll need to get someone to beta it later... Probably BA326 if I don't bother the magical Mary... Kinda anti-climatic... But I killed Naraku last chapter... Next chapter is in my opinion better and it is also the last chapter. I actually worked harder on it... (Shamed face) I just have a bit of touching up to do on it... And it should be out tomorrow.

Yeah... I'll probably re-upload a better version of this chapter tomorrow with the final chapter... Actually, it isn't even a probably. The only reason I posted this tonight is because I was told, "You have it, let me see it." Which is retrospect is probably not a good reason to show anything...

Wells, I am going to go finish doing my hair and I will catch you guys later. Please don't hate me for this. R&R!


	30. Chapter 30

_Last Time..._

"Since the contract was not fulfilled it falls to you to make your own wishes…" Midoriko said softly bringing a comforting hand to caress Rin's cheek wiping away her tears. "Show me what's in your heart child, and I will give it to you. You who have had so much ripped away are at least deserving of that." Midoriko gently kissed Rin's cheek before everything went black.

* * *

The blue eyed beauty suddenly sat up straight in her bed. She was a bit confused as to what had startled her so, but instead of musing on the subject she slipped out of bed and prepared for school. Stepping out of a steamy shower, the young woman wiped her hand across the mirror to get a good look at herself. For a moment she stared at her own eyes, a nagging voice asking if they had always been that blue.

"Of course they have…" She muttered to the dampened walls. She easily shook the feeling and continued preparing for the day. After getting dressed, she made her way downstairs. She practically tripped over Kirara who sat quietly in the middle of the den, her two tails flicking ever so often, as she watched the TV screen with almost a human interest.

"You strange little neko..." Rin cooed. She bent down for a moment and scratched the small cat behind her ears. She stared in a daze at Kirara's two tails. The same internal voice from earlier asked if they too had always been that way. Confused by her odd train of thought, she shook her head. She slowly stood up and called out for her sister.

After a few moments with no answer, Rin got a bit antsy. She turned the corner into the living room and was immediately calmed. Sango lay asleep snuggling together with Miroku on the sofa. The young woman was pressed against her lover's chest, arms flung haphazardly around his neck. He had a firm hold on her waist even as he slept.

"It's almost as if he is afraid she won't be here when he wakes up." Rin muttered as she grabbed a blanket out of a nearby closet and draped it over the couple. Sango muttered something in her sleep before hiding her face in Miroku's shirt and letting out a soft snore.

Rin smiled and hummed a light tune as she grabbed a pop tart and headed to school. On her way out, she walked past the clock and took a glance at the date. "October 31st... Isn't today some American holiday?" She stopped for a moment and shrugged before quietly exiting her house and making the short trip to school.

Almost immediately as she stepped on campus she was greeted by her friends. "Rin, please tell Toni he needs to get his eye checked out." Sakura groaned out while leaning on Toni's arm.

"I'll be fine; my vision in one eye has just been a bit blurry this morning…" The young man ground out while scratching his head. "Besides, glasses are overrated…"

"I don't know, Toni, Sakura maybe right…" Rin said with a smile as she waved over Takeshi and Mai. "Perhaps they'll give you a monocle since it is just one eye." Rin smirked.

"Come on, Rin, you're supposed to be on my side…" Toni whined.

Rin let out a light giggle before stopping, a weird feeling of déjà vu hitting her. "Hey, Takeshi…" She started as he came to a stop next to her. "Were we supposed to do something today? It's just all morning I have had this weird feeling…"

"Like you were forgetting something important?" Mai asked while tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, I got that too."

"I know I forgot to look for a place to attempt to do a documentary for the film festival. Even though I already got the grant to do it…" Toni muttered.

"Hey, if you pick something you should pay us to help you out." Mai interjected. "Rin could use a new laptop…"

"Very true, but I get the feeling that I'm forgetting something a bit more… important…" Toni said with a shrug.

"We're probably forgetting some test or something." Takeshi said lightly as the warning bell rung. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah you're right." Rin sighed. "Well, homeroom calls. I'll see you guys later…" She said with a wave and headed to class. The day seemed to fly by and soon Rin found herself walking into her sixth period class.

"Aww Rin, my only student who is ever on time. Can you do me a favor and drop these papers off to Freshman Class D?" Her teacher asked. Rin nodded and carried the large stack down the hall way. She turned into the freshman class just as it started.

"All right class, settle down. We have some new students this morning… Would you two like to introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Inuyasha, this is Kagome. She's my fiancée. We are getting married after we leave this hell hole, so hands off." The silver haired boy said smugly before being cuffed on the back of the head by the now red-faced girl standing next to him.

Rin giggled before making her way towards the stunned teacher. "Some paperwork from my sensei…" Rin muttered to the freshman teacher before pushing the stack onto the woman's desk.

Suddenly the new girl grabbed Rin's arm. "Gomen… But do I know you?"

"I'm not sure…" Rin offered up. She could swear she knew the girl for a long time, but her mind was extremely foggy.

"I just thought… Oh, then maybe you know Inuyasha?" Kagome continued motioning to the silver-haired, dog-eared boy who had found an empty seat to plop down in.

For a moment, it seemed that time stopped. Rin and Inuyasha stared at each other - both contemplating, both trying to pull from their muddled minds exactly why the other was so familiar.

"Wrong shade of silver…" Rin muttered, surprising herself and the entire Freshman D Class with her odd words.

"Wrong shade of… wait, do you know Se…" Inuyasha started before Rin sped out of the room muttering an awkward goodbye as she fled with her now rosy cheeks.

Beyond that incident, the rest of the school day was uneventful and dull. Rin moved slowly as the other students rushed out of the school, all too anxious to be rid of the building if only for a few hours.

She had no idea why but something felt off, all day her mind seemed to be recognizing things and yet... She felt like she was forgetting something. It was almost as if she was empty.

Rin sighed for what she swore was the hundredth time that day before making her way out of the building.

She was not really paying attention to where she was going and somehow she wandered past her home and into a small forest. Rin snapped out of her daze and looked around. She was standing in a clearing surrounded by trees. Off a bit in the distance was a small well house set atop a hill.

Rin tilted her head slightly to the side as curiosity began to eat at her mind. She was just about to make the small hike up to the eerily familiar landmark when a hand reached out and touched her shoulder. Rin spun on her toes to come face to face with a ruby-eyed young woman. The woman, who seemed to be a handful of years older than Rin, tilted her head to the side as she looked Rin over.

"So you found your way back here, Rin?" The woman said softly as a gentle breeze lifted two feathers that adorned her hair away from her face.

"I… I know you?" Rin asked.

The woman giggled suddenly hiding the action behind a small fan. "He said something similar…" She mused. "I am Kagura, and you and everyone you saved has seemingly forgotten most of this. And the Shikon no Tama has made it easy for them by giving them a past here in this time…"

"What are you talking about?" Rin asked the wind witch who was now gazing upon her with a knowing look.

"We are all drawn together, you know…" Kagura said softly. "All of our destinies forever entwined. Of course, I would be like you if I hadn't had the pleasure of being constantly accompanied by Kanna, who seems to have a way with seeing the truth…"

Rin finally looked down near Kagura's leg to see a small pale girl clutching a mirror. The young child bowed at Rin and muttered softly, "He is waiting for you. He won't know why until he sees you. But he waits."

"He waits?" Rin said softly as her feet began to head towards the well house almost as if she were possessed.

"Those two, such an interesting love they have…" Kagura mused as she watched Rin break into a jog.

"A love to transcend memory and time, they will always find each other…" Kanna muttered as the two turned away and headed towards their home.

As Rin jogged into the clearing near the well house she was met with the sight of a young man staring at the sunset. His long silver tresses danced in the wind. And it was at that moment that she remembered everything. Tears begin to fall down her cheeks as she ran to him. He turned towards her just in time for her to tackle him to the ground.

"Sesshoumaru… Oh god, Sesshoumaru!" She cried before she pressed her lips against his. When she finally pulled away, he put a hand up to her cheek and wiped away her tears.

"Rin…" He said softly. He flipped her gently in the grass and towered over her. "I was waiting for you…"

"I know." She said happily. He bent down and captured her lips again. The two were so happy to be together again they were unaware of their audience.

Two ghostly apparitions stood next to each other near the edge of the woods. Lady Semishia smiled lightly as she watched her son and his mate embrace. She turned to Midoriko and smiled. "Thank you for allowing me to see this. I know not the type of magic you used to free me from the tomb long enough to capture this vision, but I am ever so thankful." The graceful woman bowed deeply.

"The pleasure is mine, my lady. I am just happy to see that they were able to find each other so quickly. The Shikon no Tama wiping their memories was not something I foresaw. But I suppose this way they could become situated in this environment without too much struggle. But then again, Inuyasha and Kagome found each other and do not have their past memories. How strange was that jewel that I am now free of…" The young miko mused turning away from the lovers before her and towards the First Lady of the West.

"It is only they who remember the past, and of course Kagura and Kanna… The second of whom I am not familiar…"

"Kanna was an image created by Naraku that never came to fruition. Kagura, who had no others in this world, received her as kin for this lifetime. At least, that is what I suppose. I am still not entirely sure as to how all these things came about. Perhaps the jewel truly understood Rin's desires, even more so than I, its true keeper."

"But I admit I'm curious, what did she desire most?" Lady Semishia asked curiously.

Midoriko smiled. "She simply wanted everything and everyone to be alright…" The miko turned to the demoness and placed her hands on the bloody chains. They immediately disintegrated, leaving a shocked Lady Semishia staring blankly. "_Everyone_… I believe you and I have lived long tiring lives; perhaps it is time we take a rest from this world?"

Lady Semishia could not hide her tears as she smiled. She had long ago given up on ever being able to find true peace because of her past sin. And here it was, casually offered to her. "I would like that very much…" She said softly as the two bowed to each other and then slowly faded away.

Rin pulled away from Sesshoumaru for air again and smiled. "Do you think everyone else will remember?"

"I'm unsure, but from what I have observed we are all gravitating towards each other once more…"

"And this time, the horizon is looking bright for all of us…" Rin smiled. "I love you, Sesshoumaru…"

"Hn. Then give me many pups now." He said with a dark grin as he began to rip off her clothing.

"Of course, all you had to do was ask…" She moaned as they made love in the grass.

* * *

Yeah... So this chapter is dedicated to BlueAngel326 who apparently likes having characters loss their memories... Because she is weird. Yeah... Those last like 2 lines... I blame her for those too. Honestly I wanted to kill everyone off but after 29 it wasn't really possible...

And to tkplover whose spam comments are the real reason I even finished this. Honestly, without that little push, this fic would be sitting one chapter away from done for the rest of eternity. So thank you bunches!

Some comments on the ending... I haven't been in a real love mood. I have a pile of love issues about 3 stories high... Which will probably be reflected in my next piece, Forbidden Lust. 10 Chapters in and no one has died tragically yet, lets see if we can change that. Because true love can't overcome a thing. And everything and everyone is forever doomed...

But my emotional issues aside thanks for reading. I liked that I got a nice fat giggle out of this ending. And it has been a really long time coming. So until next time, see you soon!


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